Ladybug and Green Lantern: Light of Life
by Mixedfan8643
Summary: Ladybug and Cat Noir are in for the biggest adventure of their lives. They've teamed up with Batman, then with Wonder Woman, then with Young Justice...and now they're going to team up with the Green Lanterns as Kyle Rayner comes to Earth to face a rising threat that is closing around Earth. What is this threat? Will even the power of the Green Lanterns be enough to stop it...?
1. Prologue: Fearful Ruins

**Author's Note: I cannot thank you wonderful readers enough for following these crossovers from beginning to end. It all started with a fun idea for a Batman and Ladybug crossover with "Miraculous Knight", and then it expanded into its own universe with many more DC heroes added to the mix and you've followed them all devotedly and given them many favourites. Hell, one of you guys even gave Miraculous Knight its own tropes page and recommended all the fanfics on TVTropes! That's an honour in and of itself! :D**

**Alas though, all good things come to an end and sadly, this crossover is going to be the last one. Nevertheless, me and my co-writer, Reece Wooldridge (who you can find on DeviantArt under the username**** PrimalPrince so please swing by and give him your thanks as without him, these crossovers wouldn't have been possible) will make sure to end this fanfic universe with a major bang. So please sit back and enjoy as we give you Ladybug and Cat Noir's final DC adventure as they go far beyond anywhere they've been before as they meet the intergalactic space police themselves...the Green Lanterns! **

* * *

_Prologue: Fearful Ruins_

High in the world, cold in the air, one would think it would be easy to notice a new arrival in such a quiet place, but on this night, it was hard to notice anything, especially when a silent jet flew over the smaller populated areas of the country of Tibet, higher beyond where any communities lived. It was one of the most quiet places in the world, where anyone could disappear to.

Climbing up over the large wall of rock, the jet's back doors opened up as it slowed over a stretch of land. The land was surrounded by a towering rise of mountains, in slight blankets of snow, only the smallest of paths darted around the place.

The occupant exiting the jet was clad in a dark red leotard and a black under suit with silver armoured boots, gauntlets and a samurai styled helmet. It was none other than Kagami, who was gripping her sword tight in her hand, her eyes sharp as they usually were. Her chest heaved in and out slightly, as if readying herself in venturing out to the unknown. Like she was about to leave her comfort zone before diving into the dark stretch of loneliness. But it was something she needed to do. Something someone trusted her in doing. Someone who she could not let down.

Sucking in the air, she let go of the tension in her legs and sheathed her sword. Standing on her tip toes, she stretched her arms before leaning forward, losing the feel of the floor of the jet, feeling the rush of air run right through her before she found a new footing, the soft soil of the ground below, her feet holding her high, not staggering from the landing. She wasn't wearing such heavy armour compared to last time and she was keeping herself more straighter this time.

Her eyes closed from the intense blow of the jet as it took off. Kagami felt the relative ease she had slowly die off as she watched the jet fly off into the dark, leaving her all alone in the wild by herself. All the ease and sternness left her, her eyes lowering to the ground as she now knew the mission was on, just by herself. It was time to prove herself, for this was her first solo mission with no one. No spying, this time it was a full mission where she had to rely on memory and skill. She had to show her master she could do this...and show herself.

Sighing, the Japanese girl pulled open the pouch sitting on her waist and freed a map from its hold. She handled it carefully so as not to tear it. It was very old afterall, something she had to be really careful of. Opening it up, she found the detailed art that captured the look of the surrounding area she was in. She followed the red trails which led towards the upper right, leading right out in front of her towards a small path. Looking up, she saw a small dip in the land. She frowned before stepping forward.

"Centuries years old and it's still here. Pretty impressive." she said to herself, already keeping herself together with a hard talk.

Going on forward, she found the pathway that led to the lower part of the mountain she was on, seeing she was on the right way as she followed the map. She stopped and took a look around herself, seeing a long valley around her, towering all around her. Kagami couldn't help but gaze at the way it all glowed somehow, like she was around magic in some way. Magic of the world. The magic of quiet. The magic of the dark. If only she could live out here alone in such a place. Free from Vandal, free from Shiva. From the Light.

Sighing, she lowered herself, letting her body ease. Kagami felt she learnt so much but gotten nothing at the same time lately. She got to mix in with people, she got to see how people behaved in such a society. She saw love, energy and life. But even then she couldn't get it from where she was. Shiva was never impressed. Vandal saw her as an extension. Everyone just belittled her. Part of her wished she stayed in Paris to learn more, to see if the girl in blue hair also was someone to her. Someone she wanted to know...

Kagami then shook her head, pushing the thought of the sweet blue haired girl aside.

"Mustn't think of it. Just need to focus on the mission. He needs to get what he wants. Wherever it is in this place." she muttered as she continued her descent down the path, seeing the trail led to the bottom and towards a bridge of sorts. Lifting her head, she saw the blankets of snow weighed bigger around her, giving off a feel of awe at the sight of such a thing of nature.

She looked up to see there was indeed a bridge, leading off towards the dark wall opposite her. Looking down at the map, she saw the bridge led to a small building of some kind, a little farm of sorts from what the map showed. Kagami continued her walk, pulling out her sword as tension came over body, feeling she needed it just in case. Seeing it was getting dark, she gave the gem in her sword a little rub, before a soft glow of the colour shot over her path, giving her guidance over the bridge. Her red light only added the discomfort growing in her stomach for how it casted it's colour over the land around her, turning its quiet and beautiful look to something more creepy.

Kagami's trip on the bridge came to its end when she found herself on the other end, standing on a slightly smaller piece of land that rose to a hill like side. She beamed her light all out in front of her, and much to her frustration, she found nothing. No sign of a farm of sorts or anything that was detailed on the map. Only the empty stretch of land as far as her eyes could tell from where she was.

She sighed and turned her beam off, looking down at her feet.

"Might as well just call them back. Found nothing here." she said in frustration as she went to get her comm out of her belt sack. As she did so, however, something came over her. Literally.

While she turned to get her comm, it was then a golden light brightly shone from the dark, making her freeze. Frowning as she noticed her shadow being cast by the appearance of the light, Kagami turned around and nearly lost herself in her stare as she saw the light was beaming from a building. A building she hadn't noticed before.

Eyeing it, she could see the light was coming from the top window, it's glow extending far over the land. The building itself was like a fortress of sorts with its rectangular front that clearly connected back when it reached its ends, with a oval like door in the middle of the place. Kagami paused as she took this in before looking back down at the very item that led her here. She could only frown as she figured what this meant.

"If only he came here himself to see the changes. Gonna have to be polite if I'm gonna find this Magicium material he speaks of." she said, clearly not pleased Vandal didn't even think of coming to see this himself. Still, she had to be sure the material was still there, so she could please the guy.

She just failed to realise as she neared the building that the land around her was covered in giant webs, which wrapped its thick hold over the ground in a blanket of red, sealing it into a death like slumber of sorts.

The teen agent of the Light entered the building, keeping an eye out for anything that even so much as moved. Her training with Shiva had taught her to treat anything that moves as a threat and most be seen to at once, even if it was something as small as a mouse moving in the corner of her eye. So far, nothing happened. It was just her walking through the monastery with no one around. Kagami couldn't help but feel uneasy. Sometimes being alone was just as unnerving as having people watching you. You never knew when something was going to happen when you were alone and if anything did happen, you had no one to rely on for backup. Kagami could only hope that she wouldn't need anyone should danger arise.

The blue-haired girl swept her eyes over the monastery as she walked through. The place looked abandoned with slime on the walls, decayed brickwork and broken bits of ceiling that had crumbled away due to age and fatigue. Whatever this place was, it certainly needed a good, long clean up! Why is it that abandoned places like this always looked really creepy?

"I wonder if this place ever looked good when it was built, abandoned or not." Kagami muttered.

As she was about to press on, she heard, or at least thought she heard, a brief noise of some sort. It was a quiet, whooshing sound as if someone had quickly moved to avoid being seen. Kagami drew her sword out and pointed ahead in the direction of where the noise had supposedly come from. There was nothing there. It wasn't exactly easy to see in the dark so she couldn't be certain if anyone was here or not. Kagami kept herself rigid, poised to attack in case anyone tried to ambush her. A few minutes passed and nothing else moved or made a sound. The only noise in the monastery was Kagami's breathing. The teen girl sighed and sheathed her weapon.

"Great, I'm already imagining things." she sighed, "I thought Lady Shiva would've beaten that crap outta me with her training..."

But Kagami very quickly realized that it was not her imagination. Somebody moved up behind her and seized her from behind, clasping her a hand over her mouth and wrapping the other hand around her torso. The Japanese girl cried out behind her captor's hand, squirming in its grasp. She had no idea what had grabbed her but all she did know was that this person was deathly cold. The hand over her mouth was freezing as if this person had never experienced the warmth in its life. The other hand made her cringe in disgust as it slowly slid down her stomach, purposefully fondling her and getting a good feel.

"A girl...and so young and beautiful too..." a voice whispered behind her, "We haven't had one of these in a while...Mistress will enjoy you my dear..."

The voice was hoarse as if the captor was on the verge of losing it altogether. Kagami also noticed it was clearly a man's voice, or whatever could come off as a man. She was sure it wasn't human, whoever it was. She quickly drew her sword out and stabbed at the person behind her. Her sword sank into soft flesh and the man howled in agony. Kagami drew the sword out again and wrestled out of his grip. Then she spun around and swiftly decapitated the man with one swing of her sword. His head bounced away along the floor and the body, still oozing with blood from the wound she'd given it, collapsed shortly after. Kagami could see that the man looked like a monk of some kind, complete with tradition robes and haircut, but there was something different about this monk. The robes had strange markings she'd never seen before and the head even had markings on the face. The markings were all red in colour. Were they the symbols of whatever deranged cult this monk worked for? And who was this "Mistress" he'd mentioned?

"Savage could've warned me this place had crazy monks in it..." Kagami muttered, glaring at the headless body, "And if I've been sticking to my training as well as I think I have, I'd probably say that wasn't the only one. As Shiva said, there's never JUST one in places like this..."

She knew very well this was the case, for her ears picked up the soft thuds of footsteps coming at from behind. Except it wasn't coming right behind her so to say. It was from above, for the cold, foul breath reached down to her like a lump of slime reaching down her neck. The girl gripped her sword tightly as she heard its feet shift. The rush of the foulness above her alerted her of its incoming jump, so she leapt aside and avoided getting piled down by the figure, who she turned to see was hooded in familiar robes. But this figure was different from the monk she just killed. His eyes were glowing...several glowing eyes actually, red in all its hideousness, and he looked like he was rising from under the robes, like he had more legs than the usual number.

Kagami broke out of her frozen moment and bit her teeth down, running at the creature right on and shoved her sword right into his stomach, a splirt of blood shooting out from his back, which crunched and twisted like rock bring crushed under a machine, leaving Kagami cringing as she heard its inhuman like cry, it's screaming like a buzz saw that had gone old. She pulled her sword back and slashed it right onto the head of the creature, watching it split into two pieces and roll right onto the opposite sides of its body, which slumped lifelessly to its back.

Kagami leapt back as its legs spread out, seeing there was indeed more than just the usual number of legs...plus they weren't even human. Her blood froze as she saw they were insect like, with how thin and sticky they were. Now her adrenaline was really rushing, even more so when she saw a piece of the head she sliced off didn't even look human at all. Instead it was half of the the round head of a spider, it's lifeless eyes gazing at her as if it still wanted to eat her whole.

Kagami bit her teeth down as she heard more circling legs of the creatures circling around her in the dark, glaring at them all as their eyes glowed in the dark.

"Great! Shapeshifting spiders! Spiders that can talk and want to feed me into the mouth of their Queen, as usual with cannibals!" she said to herself as her sword's gem activated, a whirling of mechanical gears inside as she lowered her sword. She gave them a sharp look as she saw several beginning to circle her, all of them removing their robes to reveal they wore samurai styled armour, two sets of arms coming out of their sides while another set of legs stretched from their bottom half.

"She can feast on your bodies instead of mine!" Kagami snarled as she shot her sword out, its dagger trail like mode activated.

She threw it around in a circular motion easily slicing down the first wave of the creatures as they came at her, their blood slashing everywhere as their bodies collapsed into chunks of blood and crunched lumps. Kagami pulled her sword back and slid underneath an incoming spider monster, stopping right behind it in time to slice it up in half from its groin to its head, hearing it scream in agony as it collapsed in half. Another came at her, this one brandishing pair of swords in each hand. She blocked the first two that came down on her with her sword, before grabbing the wrists of his other pair of arms and pulled them down before driving her knee into its crotch. She watched as one of its eyes nearly fell out, his howls filled with more agony as it collapsed. Kagami raised her sword to its neck as it screamed in its pain.

"Shouldn't even hurt you. You lack the vitals that provide any feeling down there." she said bluntly as she sliced its head off, glad to hear its screaming stop.

It was then she noticed the rest began to back off, all of them climbing up the walls to avoid getting killed by the young girl, who stood where she was, glaring at them all as she readied for them to jump on her. Yet they all just sat there, hissing as they looked down at her, all of them hungry as they watched her. Kagami tensed up, realising they were up to something else...

She found out when a web wrapped itself around her ankle, making her cry out in alarm as it began to lift her up. The web was red and thick, but it wasn't enough to hold her for Kagami slashed it down and began to drop to the floor, only for another to catch hold of her from behind and began to drag her towards it. Kagami spun herself around and planted her sword into the spider creature's chest, killing it right away and letting the web around her go. She hissed as she felt the cold hand of another grab her arm, so she swiftly sliced its hand off and drove her sword into its forehead, before jumping back to the floor below, bringing their bodies down with her.

Snarling, Kagami glared at them all as they held off from going after her. She heard her sword's whirling mechanics go again, so she was ready to slice them all down. She was going to kill every last one of these creatures, she was not going to be their meal, so she would crush them to pieces like the little bugs they were.

But when she tried to swing her sword out, she found her arm had come to a stop, for it felt a tight web wrap itself around her. Kagami gasped and went to use her left hand to get the sword, but that as well found itself held back by a web, which was red and thick like the others. Trying not to scream, she raised her legs to try and kick them hard to loosen their hold, but just like her arms, her legs were held by the webs, which pulled her legs down to straighten them up. Kagami growled and tried to pull at the webs to loosen them, but they were strong, strong enough to keep her in place.

Her breathing increased as she noticed how the creatures just sat there, watching her. She could only wonder if the group were about to drain of her blood, each one deciding who to go first. But not one of them chose to move. They just watched her, leaving her even more nervous as she wondered what they found so fascinating...

Until she saw the slight red glow coming out of the staircase doorway nearby, rising with its user, who remained quiet as it came into view, leaving Kagami frozen in fear as she saw the creature.

The creature was feminine, its curvy body well developed despite having three sets of legs below her. Her breasts were well pronounced, covered slightly by the leotard styled clothing she wore, and her bare pink like arms were well toned, but the look of a spider was still there as her fingers stretched into claws. Her face was thin, little fangs poking out of her lips as she smiled, charm and beauty held in it, while her four glowing red eyes let their light go down, revealing her tied back red hair. The red eyes of hers looked right into Kagami's as she neared her, the girl staring right into them as pure fear came over her, the cold breath of the woman in front of her grazed over her face. The smile never left her as she trailed her finger under Kagami's chin, watching as she gulped hard while her lips trembled, the coldness of her finger running right over her whole body.

"Yes. Very young. Very strong. Clearly has intelligence in her. Hardness in her actions. All a good mix to watch crumble, like everyone else. Funny how so many people come across like this, presenting themselves as strong, cocky and smart, but really are just scared, terrified little weaklings who need to be controlled, just as you all were since you were built. Still, you have no need to worry, little fighter." she said softly, her voice just above a whisper as she smoothed her finger over Kagami's lips, watching as her eyes widened.

"You are in the house of Abyss. My house. My Ziszhui shall make you very comfy. All you need to do is go to sleep, my dear." she said as she pulled her hand back, red liquid swirling in her palm that began to build up like a structure of sorts. It was the last thing Kagami saw before Abyss shot the structure into her chest, before darkness came over her eyes as did a chill run through her whole body, which went stiff as she slumped back, feeling nothing but the cold as she went into her sleep...

* * *

The universe was home to many, many things that some would consider to be...fantastical in nature. None could be considered quite so fantastical as the largest member of the galaxy's Green Lantern Corps.

A lone figure clad in entirely in white was taking a moment to just chill and take in the beautiful scenery around him, a rare moment of peace that he intended to make the most out of. If there was any place in the galaxy to relax, it had to be here on this planet. But this planet was no ordinary planet. This planet...was a sentient being. Known as "Mogo", the living planet was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and as a sentient being, he was able to alter the weather, make plants grow, manipulate gravity and of course, display the usual powers of the Green Lanterns. Mogo had been found once by fellow Green Lantern Hal Jordan and had been saved from an incoming asteroid when Hal had given him a Green Lantern ring. Mogo had been a valuable member of the corps ever since, though his gargantuan size made it hard for him to socialize with others as his gravitational field would cause havoc if he tried to visit any worlds. Instead, most Green Lanterns would visit Mogo to give him company or use him as a temporary base if necessary.

The Green Lanterns were an intergalactic police force that visited planet after planet to maintain law and order in the universe and their incredible powers were all down to the power rings they would wield and the imagination they needed to use them. There were many variants of power rings, not just green, with each colour that represented a different emotion. The Green Lanterns were powers by willpower. Only the bravest, most endurable and hardy of people could be blessed with the power of the Green Lantern rings and the corps had many members. One of them was on Mogo right now, although calling him a "Green Lantern" was hardly accurate as he was no longer a Green Lantern. He had long since become a White Lantern, a Lantern corps that represented life itself as a sharp contrast to the Black Lanterns who represented death. As a White Lantern, this man was easily the most powerful Lantern roaming the universe. And yet outside of that white costume and his power ring, he was just another ordinary human being who had been gifted with such power. His name was Kyle Rayner and he had come a long way since his first time becoming a Green Lantern.

As he enjoyed his rare moment of peace and quiet, Kyle though back to his life and how it had led to this moment. He had just been an ordinary man with an ordinary life along with a huge desire to become an artist. He loved to sculpt and draw and it had been his dream to make a living off of his work. What a sight it would be to see his masterpieces on display somewhere! But instead his artistic mind had been put towards saving lives and fighting villains after a Green Lantern ring had come to him one day, monologued about him displaying great willpower and welcomed him to the Corps. It had been a surreal experience at first but Kyle had grown to love his life as a Green Lantern. He got to use his art skills to create fantastic constructs that had helped the Corps in subduing many threats and had seen many incredible, wonderful things throughout the universe. Of course, it hadn't all been great and he'd gone through a lot of hell in his time but these things came with the job after all and despite everything, Kyle had still lived to fight another day.

And yet his life had grown even more amazing when he'd become a White Lantern to help face off the Blackest Night event that had threatened the universe! He still remembered vividly to this day when his green costume had turned white and his power had grown beyond anything he'd ever wielded before. Facing off the Black Lanterns, defeating their leader Black Hand and bringing light back to the universe had been his proudest moment ever. So many lives saved, the universe still teeming with life and wonder and all because of him! Kyle had to imagine that he was probably the biggest hero that had ever lived, though he didn't think of himself as such as he was a rather humble man and didn't like to think of himself as above anyone else. To him, all heroes were equal and their achievements were not a contest.

It seemed the universe would need the power of the White Lanterns again for Kyle suddenly flinched as if something had touched him. He was lost in his thoughts for a moment as something came over him. It was a sort of sixth sense, the kind that told him danger was afoot. But it wasn't anything on Mogo, he was completely fine. It felt...distant, like it was a billion light years away. It was coming from somewhere in the galaxy and he had a nasty feeling he knew where. It seemed Mogo could sense it as well for a powerful voice echoed through the sky.

**"Kyle Rayner. You sense it as well, don't you?" **the sentient planet boomed.

"You know it big guy..." Kyle muttered, "It's a surge of some kind. It feels like...fear. But it doesn't feel like the Sinestro Corps somehow. This is different."

**"I agree. The Sinestro Corps are not responsible for this surge." **Mogo boomed, **"I am not sure what this surge is, but I can locate where it is coming from. It seems to be emitting from Sector 2814...your home planet." **

"I thought that the moment I felt it." Kyle concurred, "It's ALWAYS Earth where the crazy stuff happens. What could be causing this surge of fear on Earth if it ain't Sinestro and his goons again?"

**"I have no answer to give. But I do know what has to be done Kyle Rayner."** Mogo murmured, his voice echoing everywhere as his voice was literally everywhere with him being the planet itself, **"You must investigate what is happening on Earth. You must eliminate this threat before it becomes of grievous concern. I fear this rising threat could threaten more than just Earth...it could threaten the galaxy as a whole."**

"You know something's bad when even a sentient planet is nervous." the White Lantern commented, his voice lacking his usual humour despite the wisecrack he'd made, "I'll go straight away Mogo. Besides, it's been a while since I've been home anyway. It'll be good to be back...provided this threat doesn't destroy everything."

**"Indeed so, Kyle Rayner. But do not let fear consume you for when you encounter this menace. For you are the White Lantern, the Lantern of life itself, and you are the Master of these many emotions, young man. But if it needs be, do not feel bitter at requesting the help of others."** Mogo responded, his voice booming despite the great wisdom it held.

Kyle folded his arms and smirked down at the planet.

"As if there's anything silly about asking help. Even a kid can be helpful in the darkest of days. You hang tight, big guy, if you want anyone to have a conversation with, give Hal a call." he told him as he turned to levitate higher into the atmosphere, giving him a grin as he began to gain speed.

**"Go then, Kyle Rayner. Protect the Life Entity, and protect the universe with the Light of Life."** Mogo gave a final farewell as he watched on to see Kyle disappearing into the dark of space.

For Kyle, Mogo's voice became faint as he saw the dark turn to light as his speed increased, his mind thoughtful of Earth as he processed it in his head over what this could mean. He didn't get it, but something told him this trip to home would be worth it. He could feel it in his soul and he was getting excited about it. But he knew that there was a fight that needed to end, it called to him, so he'd go in to end it. If he needed help, he'd get it.

So his journey began, from Mogo to Earth, lost in the endless stretch of light, his light, the guide to where he needed to go. Yet as he continued on, he couldn't help but wonder if this whole sense he could pick up was something the Life Entity was calling out to him over. It was the source of his power and the creature Earth had sealed up inside. He didn't think of going into the core to see it, he knew he'd find out when he'd get there. But he knew this was something that needed to get done.

* * *

_**Talk about starting off big! Kagami's been captured and the White Lantern himself is answering a call to action. What will happen to Kagami now she's in Abyss's claws? Who even IS Abyss? Is she connected to the rising threat Kyle senses? How will Kyle stop this threat and how will Ladybug and Cat Noir get involved in this? **_

_**Tune in next time for more superhero action in this crossover epic!**_


	2. Chapter 1 The Truth About Emilie Agreste

_Chapter 1: The Truth About Emilie Agreste_

If Kyle Rayner was to arrive on Earth now, he might've second-guessed his and Mogo's senses about a rising fear from the planet. As of now, today seemed like any normal day on Earth with people going to and from work, meeting up in the street or in restaurants or in shops for chats and to socialize, children playing together to make the most of the lovely weather in some countries and everyone just going about their daily lives be it indulging in their favourite hobbies or having pleasant family interactions together. Paris's local superhero Ladybug was one of them.

She was out of costume of course as there was no superhero work to do as of now. In her civilian form she was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, daughter of a family of bakers and to anyone who just happened to pass by her, just an average teenage girl with a perky personality and mundane interests such as fashion, sweet things and boys. It was easy for Marinette to see why nobody suspected her to be the girl behind the Ladybug mask. After all, who would suspect a klutzy baker's girl from an average school to be a strong, confident, powerful superheroine? None of her friends did, hence why it came as a surprise to a few of them when she revealed her secret identity to them. None showed a more pleasant surprise than her boyfriend, the former teen model Adrien Agreste. Marinette still replayed the moment she revealed herself to him over and over in her mind, taking in his surprised face and his acceptance that one of his dear friends was Paris's superheroine, along with his love being a girl as sweet as her outside of costume. While Adrien had originally loved Ladybug, he had grown to love her as Marinette Dupain-Cheng alongside Ladybug. Getting to reveal herself to the boy of her dreams had been one of the best things that had happened in Marinette's life. It was now a matter of deciding when to reveal herself to her parents.

She was currently at the table starting the day off with breakfast. It was the weekend today and Marinette had enjoyed an extra hour or so in bed as she didn't have to get up for school. The blue-haired girl enjoyed a good lie in as she felt more refreshed when she didn't have to wake up so early. Breakfast was some of her favourite foods today, croissants with strawberry jam, a piece of orange and a vegetable omelette with a glass of milk. She liked to start the day with a healthy mix of protein, vitamins and carbohydrates with only a little sugar from the jam in her croissants as it gave her the energy and stamina she'd need as Ladybug should she need to transform. The croissants were freshly baked to perfection of course, using the family recipe that the Dupain-Chengs always used when providing stock for their bakery. It was fun for them getting to essentially taste their own products. As Tom had once joked, if it wasn't good enough for them then it's not good enough for the customers. Marinette had two with her breakfast and requested for two more to be bagged up for Adrien. He loved her bakery's goods and the French girl never failed to give him a treat or two.

As Marinette ate her breakfast, she thought back to the last time she'd donned the Ladybug earrings. It was crazy to think that the once super-duo of Ladybug and Cat Noir had grown into a full-fledged team. It had just been her and Cat Noir for so long and going up against threats far bigger than Hawk Moth himself such as The Joker, The Riddler, Darkseid and Grail and now the Miraculous heroes had more members to call upon for help with her friends Alya, Nino, Alix and Lila becoming superheroes themselves! She thought again about how they'd come together to be trained by her and Cat Noir, donned their extraordinary gifts to fight off The Light and stave off their attempted conquest of their country and proven themselves to be heroes in their own right. And all of this alongside getting to fight alongside the Young Justice team too! Marinette hoped to see the young heroes again as they were a great group to hang out with and displayed more of that youthful energy she and Adrien were used to. She had enjoyed meeting Batman and Wonder Woman of course but for many people, they often enjoyed hanging out with others closer to their own ages. Marinette and Adrien hadn't heard much from The Light ever since their battle in the catacombs. Hopefully this meant they were out of the country for good and would never come back.

But one thing from that day still bothered her and had Marinette pondering endlessly about it. That Asian girl from The Light Kagami. Why did it bother her so much? Marinette was sure she never knew any Kagamis and was definitely certain she'd never met this girl in her life. But there was something about her that just made her stand out in her mind. Was it the coincidental similarities they had in appearance and hair colour? Possibly. Marinette's family was half-Asian after all so she could potentially have another relative she didn't know about. But the girl was Japanese and the Asian half of her family was Chinese. She couldn't be related...could she? And what would happen if she and Kagami were to meet again? Would they still be enemies? Would they become allies? Marinette had no idea and she hoped whatever answers she would find would be worthwhile.

"Marinette? Is everything fine?" came a voice that broke her out of her train of thought, "Sweetie, you looked completely zoned out!"

It was her mother, Sabine Cheng. Marinette hadn't even realized she was that far gone. Her senses returned to normal and the girl realized she'd been staring into space with half-eaten crossiant in her hand. She frowned, feeling ridiculous for having done that at the breakfast table.

"Oh, it's nothing mom." she said hastily, "I was just deep in thought that's all."

"I'll say it was deep. Did your thought process reach the bottom of the Atlantic before your mother snapped you out of it?" Tom chuckled.

Marinette sent him a playful glare.

"Daddy, are you saying I am fat in some way!?" she said in a threatening tone, making his eyes widen as she raised her spoon, shielding himself from any incoming attacks from her.

"No, no, not at all my sweet little strawberry!" he cried out in alarm, not seeing Sabine grinning cheekily as she watched their daughter's next action.

Marinette scoped up a bit of strawberry jam from the jar with her spoon and grinned wildly.

"I'll give you a sweet strawberry, papa!" she said as she flicked the piece of jam onto her dad's t-shirt, forcing him to pull his arms down and stare at it in horror before doing a mock faint in his chair, his arms dropping to his sides.

"Agh...I've been gutted by the poisonous little blueberry, the blueberry assassin of the most deadliest of foods, agh..." he said faintly, getting a giggle from his wife and daughter at how he was behaving. He was such a cheeky man, and that's why they loved him.

Tom giggled as he sat himself back up, scooping off the piece of jam on his t-shirt.

"Heh, I didn't mean it like that, dear." he said more softly, getting a soft pat from his daughter.

"Heh, I know, papa. Just mixing concern with your ever so funny humour." she said lightly, full of love for her parents and joy at having fun with them.

"He said some even worse things when he was younger, he nearly got a beating from my father for telling such a terrible joke." Sabine pointed out as she smoothed his hand, which he returned.

"Oh goodness, that was so funny, I thought he was going to shoot daggers from his eyes!" Tom said brightly, thinking back to that point in their lives over how he tried to impress his wife's family.

"I need to know everything!" Marinette teased, getting a wave of hands from them.

"Oh don't, I think we'll be laughing all day" Tom said as he gotten his breath back from all the laughing he just did, though Sabine winked at him.

"Why not laugh all weekend, with all the time we're going to have now?" she said pointedly, getting a nod from Tom but a raised eyebrow from Marinette.

"All the time we're going to have?" she raised her question, getting a look from her parents as their faces relaxed from the laughing. Tom gave her a more thoughtful look as he glanced at his wife.

"Well, we've been thinking, Marinette, with all that's been going on lately, we thought of having the weekend to ourselves" he said to her.

"Yes. So we've decided we'll be closing our shop for the weekend and have some time alone, so we can remind ourselves of what we still have and what family is. Plus, I need to get some time to get Alya's mother in to work with us." Sabine pointed out, her voice full of desire at wanting this break from the work they often did, a loving look in her eyes.

Marinette took this in and thought of what they both said. Time to themselves, how important family was. It was important. And you don't hide secrets from your family, not when your involved in near world ending situations. You either lose yourself or them, neither knowing the secret. And time to themselves...it was only right to do so, for they needed to have it, and to know the truth.

It was then Marinette reached her hands over and took hold of their hands, stunning them slightly as she gave them a slight smile, which was filled with love but pain.

"You know what...we do need this time to ourselves...There's so much we need to do and I don't think I've really done anything to add to it." she said, guilt in her voice as she squeezed their hands.

They both gave her a concerned look.

"Hey, what is it dear? You didn't upset us or anything if that's what you think?" Sabine asked softly, leaning forward slightly as she saw how her daughter was looking.

Marinette shook her head.

"No, not like that, it's just...I don't think I've been honest with you both lately. This last year I've...kept a secret, and I think it's time you ought to know what it is." she said softly, readying up her courage to tell her parents the truth.

Tom looked at Sabine with a confused look before looking back at Marinette.

"Um...this secret of yours, you've not been...having anything, have you?" he asked, his voice getting serious as he put his question out. Marinette's eyes widened.

"Oh no no no! Daddy, no, not like that! It's something you might like, when I tell you!" she said, her voice not doing well at hiding the panic in her voice.

"Then what is it? If it's something we'll like, why hide it?" Tom questioned again, now unsure of what she was going on about.

Marinette felt her tongue pushing against her teeth as she wondered what she was going put it out to them. She wanted to say it all at once but it'd come out messy and that would get to all sorts of stuff...

Thankfully, she was saved by a beep as her phone alerted her of a text. Pulling her hands back, she opened her phone up to see she just received a message from Adrien. Her heart almost stopped at the sight of his name, being away from him and getting just a faint reminder of him being her boyfriend was enough to freeze her into shock and melt her into a warm oozing mix of emotions. She saw the text read.

"Hi, Mari. Hope I'm not disturbing your beauty sleep but Master Fu has said he needs to talk to all of us. Really big. See you there my love xxx." it read.

"Was that Adrien?" Tom asked, though he sounded like he knew the answer. Marinette nodded as she bolted up from the chair and put her phone away.

"Yes it was! He said that Master Fu just needs some help and need an extra pair of hands! Listen, I'll tell you everything when I get back, okay? Love you both, bye!" she said as she dashed around them both and planted a kiss on their foreheads before running off to the door, leaving Tom and Sabine sat by their table in a set of confusion as they stared at the door before looking back at each other.

"You don't think she's up to...anything, is she?" Tom asked nervously, though Sabine rested her hand on his arm.

"She's not like that, Tom. She said we might like her secret. It could be a special present." she suggested, her voice ever sweet as she rested his worries. Still, the very thought of what she wanted to say to them both kept running in their minds.

* * *

Outside, Marinette gotten out through the front door and started to go for the spa, though this didn't stop a certain Kwami from poking her little head out of her purse, looking up at Marinette with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Marinette, haven't you thought this over? You decided to tell them today?" she squeaked up at her, her voice slightly nervous. Marinette paused as she reached a crossing and looked down at her.

"Tikki, it's been on my mind for weeks. With how much we've been up against, I really think it's time I tell them I'm Ladybug." she stated as she then crossed the road.

"Are you really sure that you want to tell them?" Tikki asked with concern, "You know what a big moment it'll be for both you and them if you do so. There's no going back afterwards."

Marinette gave Tikki an unimpressed stare.

"Do you really think I didn't consider all that?" she muttered, "Those were the very first things I considered when contemplating this stuff. I know it'll come as a shock to mom and dad that their daughter is a superhero but I just feel like it's wrong to keep this from them. How does any superhero live with themselves with the constant secrecy and lying to their loved ones just to keep up the act?"

Tikki nodded, understanding where her Miraculer was coming from. It was a question she'd been asked before by previous holders and sadly, even now she didn't really have an easy answer.

"It really is hard to say." Tikki said glumly, wishing she could be of more help, "You're not the only one to have a problem with keeping secrets. Some of my previous holders even went through what you're going through, the need to rebel against the sacred rules of the Miraculous and tell their loved ones they're the superheroes."

"How did that go for them?" Marinette asked, hoping the answer wouldn't be a bad one.

"Not good." The pink Kwami lamented, her adorable face falling into a pained look of guilt and regret, "Some of my holders broke the secret and had their lives ruined over it. It often varied from person to person like friends falling out, boyfriends or girlfriends dumping them because they'd been lied to and some even ended up dead because of it! Once their secret was out, it was easy for the villains to track them down and kill them in revenge for their schemes being foiled! I was so ashamed of all those moments happening under my watch. I almost felt responsible in a way as if I'd never been bestowed on these people, they'd never have been in that situation."

Marinette took this in with a feeling of doubt now twinging in her gut. She had considered the last part as a possible consequence but surely that wouldn't happen to her. If she was only revealing her identity to friends and family and not the world as a whole, no villain would be able to find her. But suppose that her parents reacted negatively to this news? Would they be horrified? Would they become overprotective and never let her leave the house again? Would the shock even be too much for them? There were so many downsides and so many reasons to keep up the secret! Despite all this, Marinette remained undeterred. The French girl patted Tikki's head softly to ease her guilt. Tikki always loved the soft, gentle pats her holder would give her. What a luxury it was to be in the hands of such a gentle person.

"I understand your concerns Tikki and I'm deeply sorry for those previous holders where it didn't go well for them." Marinette said kindly, "But it has to be told. I can't keep this from mom and dad anymore. It's weighing too much on my conscience and after sharing the secret with my friends, I just feel mom and dad deserve to be let in on it too. I'll feel...more at peace with myself if I tell them, like I have nothing to hide anymore."

The Kwami nodded understandingly.

"If that's your decision Marinette, I accept it." she said supportively, "I clearly won't change your mind about it. I...I just hope that it won't cause any heartbreak when it happens."

"We can worry about that when we get to it." the blue-haired teen said with a soft smile, "For now, we need to see what Master Fu wants with us. We shouldn't keep him waiting if it's urgent."

Tikki nodded, sitting back inside the purse as Marinette continued her walk to the spa.

It didn't take them long to get there, letting themselves in and heading right up the stairs to where the sitting area would be. She reached her hand out to open the door with the door knob but instead it was opened for her. The person opening it was none other than her boyfriend, Adrien Agreste, who beamed in pleasure upon seeing her, while she stopped where she was and smiled back at him. He looked less tired and distressed now, even after he was recovering during their fight against the Light. He stepped aside and gave her room to walk into.

"In you come, M'Lady" he offered softly with a charming smile, which she nodded and headed on in, letting him close the door behind her.

She turned to him and pulled him into a hug, which he returned with as much warmth she was giving him. She smiled as she looked up into his eyes, seeing how pleased they were to see her right in front of him. He rested his hands on her waist as she rested hers on his shoulders, both full of love as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"Slept well?" Adrien asked gently as he looked her over, getting a nod from her.

"Oh yeah, really well. Would've slept better if I had my cat with me." she winked at him, getting a giggle and a blush from the blonde boy.

"Heh, in all my tight leather? Didn't think you went that far in your imaginations." he teased back to her, turning her face even brighter than his.

She giggled as she realised he knew her very well by now, even more than over a month ago. Plus the nights they did spend stargazing often had him in all his tight leather, which she couldn't unsee him out of now. She trailed her finger up his chin.

"Read my mind, Hmm?" she said sweetly as she stood up to reach his lips. He couldn't even give her an answer as she pulled him into a kiss, enjoying the feel of his full sweetness against her as she kissed his lips with hers, long and passionate and chest to chest.

Then the moment gotten interrupted when a delightful squeal pulled them away from each other. They both blushed brightly as they saw Alya grinning at them, surrounded by Nino, Alix and Lila, who all gave them teasing looks.

"You both just can't keep your hands off each other for five minutes and I adore it!" Alya said ecstatically as she gave Marinette a proud look, as if she was seeing them declaring themselves as a couple all over again.

"Kiss any longer and they'd be dying in each other's breaths." Alix said cheekily, getting a huff from the couple as they gently pulled away and looked at them with slight smiles.

"Yeah yeah, very funny, Alix" Adrien said bluntly, getting a click of fingers from Nino.

"Hey, dude, you were in full passion world right in front of us, gotta say something." he reminded him with a grin, getting a giggle from the blonde teen. It was then Plagg flew out of Adrien's pocket and huffed.

"You think it's hard enough for you guys to see it? I'm in his pocket when they do it, the way how boys go stiff and hard is enough to make me puke up my cheese!" he said grumpily, getting a brighter blush out of Adrien, getting a large amount of wide eyes from everyone involved.

Marinette looked slightly nervous at this and shot Plagg a pleading look to not go any further with his remarks. He caught her look and sighed, looking away so as to force himself not to say anything. Marinette then looked to their friends and got her words out.

"So...you were invited as well?" she asked in slight shock. Lila nodded and gestured at a nearby room.

"Well, we're a team now, and whatever Master Fu wants to share with us, we gotta have it shared together. Still, it's been hard sitting in here for a while, it stinks of smoke big time" she ended with slight frustration, something Pollen nodded along with.

"Yes indeed. Such a revolting smell is not something you wielders need to be around." she said bitterly, hating the smell as well.

Adrien shrugged shyly.

"Sorry about that, he never stops." he said softly, knowing well who it was that was smoking. Marinette still took in what Lila said and felt herself get a little hardened up.

"It must be important if he wants us all here to hear this. Still, your right, we're a team now, gotta get use to more bigger meet ups." she said, ending her words with some lightness.

"Indeed so, Marinette, and it is a team you and Adrien should be proud you put together." Master Fu said kindly as he came through the door, followed closely by John Constantine, who gave Adrien a smirk while everyone held their breath as he walked past him.

"Oi there, the lot of you, make yourselves comfy, it's a long story, as per usual." he said as he spun around and sat down, pocketing his lighter as he outstretched a roll of paper on the table in front of him, with Master Fu sitting beside him. Everyone took a seat on the sofa opposite, trying to keep away from the smell of smoke.

"Must be important if he's here then." Marinette said, trying not to gag as she looked at John Constantine, whom Alya frowned at.

"Yeah...who is he anyway? Not seem him around here before."

"Yeah. He looks like a Sting fanboy with the coat and hair...unless it is Sting!" Nino said, excitement building in him as he pointed at him.

"There's similarities, mate, but nope, I'm not the real one." John said as he rested back against the sofa. Adrien giggled nervously as he pointed at Constantine.

"Heh, yeah, uh, he's actually a occult detective. Batman hired him to help me unlock more of my powers and he's been helpful with it. We called him back to help Master Fu while we chased Darkseid back to his home planet." he explained to them, getting confused look from his group of friends around them.

"Thanks my mate, you got that out of the way, but yes, I helped him out and did a better job than old Fu-Fu ere!" Constantine said cheekily as he clapped Master Fu on the back, getting a sigh from the old man.

"Yes, thank you, Constantine" he said in slight humour as he then leaned forward, his face looking more serious as he faced Adrien.

"We called you all here because it's very important. We've made some progress on a matter that's been on our minds. It's about your mother, Adrien." he said, his voice going soft as he spoke to the blonde teen, who looked lost for a second as he heard what Master Fu just said. Everyone stared at him to see how he looked, seeing his face lose every other emotion as he looked down at his hands, emotions running through him.

"My...mother? I...hadn't thought about her lately...not since that nightmare on Apokalips..." he said, his voice a mix of fear and pain.

"If it's about Adrien's mother, then it clearly is important!" Marinette exclaimed.

"OMG, are we finally gonna learn what happened to her and find out if she's even alive?!" Alya cried, her voice a mixture of excitement and concern.

Constantine gave her an annoyed expression in response, making the Martiquen girl flinch uncomfortably.

"Miss, if you say "OMG" again, I'll summon a demon under yer bed at night." he said irritably.

Alya was sure the occult detective was bluffing but she didn't dare push any more buttons as goodness knows what this man could do and what powers he had if he was a detective of the strange and mysterious!

"Yes Adrien mate, it is indeed about your mother." Constantine went on, "While you and Mari-bug over there were palling around with Wonder Chick on Apokalips, me and Fu-Fu did a little investigation of our own. It involved sneaking into the local police station and retrieving summet from the pigs in there."

"What did you find? You gotta tell me everything and show me what you found!" Adrien cried desperately.

It seemed to him that he was just seconds away from finally getting the long-awaited answers he'd yearned for in so many months. He couldn't help himself, he was more anxious than he'd ever been in his life and could hardly wait a moment longer.

Constantine and Master Fu shared a uncertain look with each other, something Adrien caught on and it slowed down his excitement, leaving his chest getting tighter as he realised it wasn't going to be the answer he was hoping for. Master Fu leaned forward and gave him a soft look.

"It was a map and what we thought was a Miraculous. Look down in front of you." he informed Adrien, gesturing down at the rolled out piece of paper on the table.

Adrien did so and everyone followed his gaze. They held off a gasp but stared on, seeing the paper was indeed a map. And just on the side of it was a jewel of sorts, styled like a peacock's tail, its colour turquoise while the ends were blue. Adrien stared at that in confusion before looking up at Master Fu while Alix looked over the map.

"Hey, isn't that meant to be Tibet?" she asked aloud, getting a nod from Master Fu.

"And...that's a Miraculous? I...think I saw it before, on the day we met Lila...Plagg, you were there, why didn't you recognise it?" Adrien asked, his voice rising as he looked at his Kwami, who stared at the peacock styled jewellery before looking back at Adrien.

"I recognise it...but it doesn't seem like one from what I can see." he said dully, his mind already set.

Adrien tried to hold back his gasp as he looked at the jewel again, while Marinette shook her head.

"Hold on, let the others look at it first." she suggested, giving Tikki room to get out of her purse, with Trixx and Pollen joining her, but Wayzz and Nooroo held back, something which they noticed. Trixx sighed.

"Let us guess, you already looked?" he asked glumly. He received a nod from them both.

"Yes we did. It's not the Peacock Miraculous." Wayzz said sadly, his eyes gazing down at it. Nooroo nodded.

"I told Gabriel it wasn't the same Miraculous, but he wouldn't listen. If it was the same one, we'd sense it, but it's not." he added in a similar tone, getting Adrien to look at him questionably.

"You...know more, don't you?" he asked, bitterness in his voice.

Nooroo nodded again with a sad look.

"Yes. But I was waiting for the right time to tell you. I don't know what happened to your mother but we've got...someone else here to help with that. We'll explain it together when they get here." he said, utter guilt in his voice as he knew he hasn't told Adrien everything. Nino looked interested at this.

"They? You mean we got more coming?" he asked, to which Master Fu nodded before looking at Adrien.

"Yes, and when they arrive, I want you to keep yourself calm, Adrien, and listen to them." he advises sharply, getting Adrien a little hardened as he could only guess who it was that was going to arrive.

It wasn't long until a knock came at the door, to which Master Fu stood up and walked over to. Everyone gave Adrien a nervous look as he stared at the door, seeing he was holding himself back from getting wild with who it was that came through when it opened. His eyes remained empty as he took in who it was, focusing on just one of them as they entered.

She was dressed slightly differently, now wearing a black coat that reached her thighs, darker blue trousers and her hair was a little untidy, but her gaze was just as emotionless as ever, while the huge man behind her stood as big and imposing as usual but slightly more sad as he looked at Adrien. It was Nathalie and the Gorilla.

Gabriel Agreste's former secretary and Adrien's former bodyguard shifted uncomfortably as they caught Adrien's eye. Ever since the shocking reveal that was Gabriel turning out to be Hawk Moth, Nathalie and the Gorilla had kept their distance from Adrien. It was clear that they were too ashamed to even be around him anymore. Nathalie in particular was having a hard time even looking at the blonde boy. Maybe she was afraid on what would happen if she did.

"Adrien...you look well." Nathalie said glumly.

"Hey Nat." Adrien said bitterly.

He wasn't sure if he could bring himself to say anything more than that. Marinette on the other hand seemed to be carrying the confidence that Adrien was lacking for she rose out of her seat and stormed up to Nathalie with a look of pure murder in her eyes. Not even Alya had seen the baker girl sport a look of tranquil fury before. Luckily, Marinette had enough restraint to keep herself from clawing Nathalie's face off but she was still keen to give her a severe tongue-lashing. Constantine sighed, clearly having anticipated a reaction like this.

"I knew at least one of those two would be the ones to give Miss Emotionless there a bollocking." he muttered.

"You! You've got a nerve coming here after everything Adrien has suffered through!" Marinette snarled, jabbing a finger into Nathalie's chest, "How much did you know about Gabriel and his plans? Were you even complacent in them? Why did you let Gabriel get away with everything?! WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM FROM AKUMATIZING SO MANY PEOPLE?!"

"Marinette girl, come on now, chill! I'm sure Master Fu would appreciate it if you didn't kill the poor woman." Alya said hastily, grabbing Marinette by the shoulders and pulling her back.

"It's OK Miss Cesaire. If anything, I probably deserve this." Nathalie said bluntly, "Marinette is right, I'm just as guilty as Gabriel was for his crimes as Hawk Moth. I should've tried to talk him out of it. I should've been a better guardian for Adrien. I even should've tried to help the two move on after Mrs. Agreste disappeared..."

She trailed off, her face solemn as she wallowed in self-pity. Adrien could see that for the first time in his life, Nathalie was showing actual emotions in front of him. He'd never seen her with any expression other than a blank face in all the time he'd known her. It was the first time his secretary had looked...human in a sense. Maybe with Gabriel gone, he could see a whole new side to Nathalie that he'd never seen before.

"So...why are they here?" the blonde boy asked curiously, "You said they could help with the whole thing with the fake Miraculous and Tibet."

"Oh they can, Adrien. Thing is, after you sneaked off to have some sleep after going to Apokalips, Nathalie came to pay us a visit about yer mother. Must say it was handy of her." Constantine said lightly as he pointed at her when she took a seat with the Gorilla. Adrien kept his eyes focused on Nathalie, seeing she was slowly unopening a box of secrets of her own. She then looked at all of the teens in front of her, guilt clear in her eyes as she saw them all.

"Before I do, I need to explain: I only helped cover Gabriel's whereabouts when he was Hawk Moth. Our big friend here didn't know anything until after Joker and Riddler came here." she said as she nodded at the Gorilla, who grumbled in response before she continued.

"I started to wonder how far gone he was after he Akumatised Simon to attack the mansion, we all could've been killed...but I was too scared because he might've already crossed the line in some places before then. It was only after he worked with Joker I realised he lost it...I really should've done better." she explained, her voice trailing off as she lowered her head, her words full of bitterness at what had happened.

Marinette's face softened a little, seeing really well the woman was utterly sorry for what had transpired.

"Even then, this doesn't mean we're going to forgive you so easily." she spoke up, her voice hard as she addressed Nathalie, all that nervousness she once had around her long gone, "And why didn't you come to find Adrien earlier if you were that sorry?" she added, clearly getting very protective of her lover.

Nathalie felt her face go hard as she looked at her.

"Well, I was interviewed by the police and held for days, I couldn't be able to just come and find you when best suited. And you were busy, so I decided to talk things through with Master Fu and Constantine before all this." she explained, her face going soft again as Master Fu patted her arm.

"Indeed, and she had to be very discreet, for thanks to her we managed to further see not only is this Miraculous a fake one, but it was touched by the hands of someone not only very powerful but also an expert in the Miraculouses. Wayzz and Nooroo can help confirm it." he explained. Before the Kwamis could offer their words, though, Adrien raised his hands to stop them from going on.

"Look, just one thing at a time, okay? I want to know what happened to mom first before anything else." he pleaded, not wanting that big of a intake on everything else, his voice pleading clearly as he couldn't wait any longer He needed the empty spot in his soul to get filled and he needed it now.

Wayzz and Nooroo looked unsure before looking at Nathalie, who gave them a nod, clearly up for revealing it all to Adrien, so they floated back as she looked at him right in the eyes. She gestured down at the map, a faint smile on her face as she thought back to it all.

"It actually began here, in Tibet, Adrien. Your mother and I were very good friends. We graduated from university and while we aimed to work in modelling, we decided to do a world tour, to look at the many fashions of the world and what we liked about them. In doing so, we went to...a lot of places hit by poverty. Your mother, instead of spending the money on luxurious restaurants, decided to help the poor, giving away enough to get them into richer parts of the country. She put her word in at the government and she gave them a headache with her reasoning. Emilie was that kind of person, thinking of others before herself. Then one day, we were rewarded by getting to go up around the higher points of Tibet, and...that's when we found them." Nathalie explained as Master Fu put the Miraculous Book on the table with the butterfly Miraculous, while Nooroo sat on it, smiling shyly.

Adrien's eyes darted back and forth between them and Nathalie before it began to dawn on him.

"You...found Nooroo and the book? So mom...used a Miraculous?" he asked, trying to get it all in. Nathalie could only nod, while everyone was leaning in with interest in what she had to say.

"Not just them. We found the Peacock Miraculous. We discovered its Kwami, Duusu, and through them, we learned of the Miraculouses and what they could do. So, when we continued our travels, your mother would use both Miraculouses, the Butterfly one to become Papillion, and the Peacock one to become Le Paon. She would use the Tenshis she made from her Butterfly Miraculous to lighten the souls of the miserable and give them something to push towards in getting. She created Sentimentels from the Peacock Miraculous to create a companion for those in similar needs. She did this because she cares so much about others." Nathalie went on, her eyes full of emotion as she thought back to when Emilie worn both Miraculouses.

Adrien couldn't help but feel something light swirl inside of him upon hearing this, his mouth forming into a light smile as he thought it over. He looked down at Nooroo, giving him a smile as he returned it, while everyone else watched on in silent awe.

"So...she was a superhero in a way?" he asked, his voice not even struggling to hold back the joy. Nooroo nodded.

"She was. She had one of the lightest souls I ever merged with, just like yours. Duusu and I loved her so much" he said, his voice full of the emotion as he remembered how majestic Emilie was in her works as Papillion and Le Paon.

"Dude, your mom was a worldwide superhero!? Now that right there is what I call legendary!" Nino said brightly, putting his arm around the blonde teen as he could see just how much this was meaning to him. Marinette smoothed his cheek, seeing the light really burning through his face as he listened to this.

"That's just amazing...really wish I met her before." she said softly, already imagining just how much in common both had. Adrien nodded and held off a tear as he gazed at her.

"She would've loved you, Marinette. She'd be so happy to have met you." he said, his voice honest as he spoke of his mother.

Nathalie smiled a little, glad to see how he was taking it. Of course, she had to continue.

"Through all this, she met your father." she said, leading to a silent pause in the room. Adrien's face froze as he thought of how his mother could've fallen in love with such a slime ball like his dad...but still, he couldn't let Nathalie stop, so she continued.

"He was struggling to get somewhere with his fashion programme and was running very low on his money. Emilie worked with him for a bit, and she saw the hard state he was in, so she used a Tenshi to brighten his soul. Through this, Gabriel pushed forward to achieve his goal and got his fashion going. In doing so, he saw your mother turn into Le Paon one day, so he followed her and saw her turn into Papillion. It all clicked into him that it was her who helped him. Through that, he fell in love."

The whole story was gathering a wave of emotions from everyone in the room. It was wonderful to hear so many good things about the mother of their close friend and for Adrien, it was like he was getting to know his mother for the first time, even if it was only through the words of someone who had actually known her personally and not through his own experiences. In a way, it softened the blow he still felt from Gabriel's reveal as Hawk Moth. Now Adrien could live with himself knowing he had a good parent and that at least one of them had been a hero and not a villain like his father. At the same time, he felt an overwhelming wave of sadness wash over him. It was simultaneously uplifting and painful to hear these stories for now he yearned more than ever to have known the woman whom had given birth to him and brought him into the world instead of having spent most of his life being watched over by a madman who pretended to love and care for him.

Marinette could see that Adrien was struggling to cope with the multitude of emotions that were rushing through him so she took his hand into her own and gave it a soft massage with her thumbs. Adrien visibly relaxed, his posture less rigid now he had the touch of his girl to sooth his nerves. He could be having a nervous breakdown and Marinette would be able to calm him down. The French teen smiled at his girlfriend before he turned back to Nathalie. He dreaded to ask but he knew that it had to be done.

"So what happened after that?"

It wasn't just Nathalie who tensed up after receiving that question. The whole Miraculous team braced themselves for what was to come. Like Adrien, they dreaded to hear what was about to come and what had become of Emile Agreste. Nathalie sighed and answered.

"It all started when Dusuu came to Emile with an important message." Nathalie explained, "The peacock Kwami could sense a Sentimonster active in Tibet. She wasn't sure how that was possible but all she knew was that it needed to be dealt with. Emile took the Peacock Miraculous and Dusuu and headed off to Tibet right away to deal with the Sentimonster."

She paused to regain her posture before concluding with the terrible end to the story.

"They weren't seen again after that..."

Adrien's face fell as dread began to build in him, but he held himself from losing it as he felt Marinette keeping a good hold of his hand. It did little stop him from stuttering his next question.

"S-So...she's dead?" He asked nervously, tears already building up in his eyes.

Nathalie stiffened but shook her head hard, her face full of reassurance.

"No. Not to us. We flew out to find her but only found this, the fake one. Gabriel was determined to find her so he used Nooroo to try and lure you and Marinette into a trap to use them to find your mother. But he gotten so lost in his power he became more of a monster as time went on." she went on, giving reason to why Gabriel wanted the Miraculouses that badly. He admitted his reasons for why on the night at the mansion, but not to this level.

Adrien was just keeping himself together but was still struggling to find anymore words after that. Nino decided to speak up for him.

"So, I guess you turned to Master Fu here to get some answers about it?" he asked.

"Yes. While Gabriel wouldn't listen to us, Nooroo did tell me he could sense Emilie and Dusuu's souls were still in the world. He examined the fake Miraculous and not only discovered it was fake but it was created by...what we will call a common enemy of the Kwami." she explained in response to him, her voice going quiet as she finished her sentence.

Marinette frowned as she looked at Tikki, who looked slightly nervous.

"A common enemy of the Kwami? But who?" she asked her little friend, who glanced away out of worry, not sure how to say it. Master Fu spoke up instead.

"This common enemy is someone they've dealt with for centuries. They honestly thought they saw the last of it during the time of Tikki being handled by Hippolyta, but it seems they are still around, in Tibet. To make it even more worrying, the map is focussing on an area I am familiar with. It was the site of my old temple, the one I...accidentally destroyed." he explained, guilt rising in his voice, which left everyone even more shocked as he told them this, even Alix, except for Constantine, who gave him a pat.

"Okay, Fu-Fu, tell em now because we are stretching it as it is." he warned.

Yet as Master Fu explained to them what he had meant by that, they failed to even notice quite a scene coming around outside the spa, for gathering around it was a familiar group of people they failed to see at Chloe's funeral. Stiff looking, thin men who were smiling quite creepily as they gazed up at the building. They spoke in a light tone, just quiet enough for themselves to hear.

"They have gathered...we must capture them now." said one of them as his skin began to split, blood trailing right from the wounds and running down to the ground.

His friends nodded in agreement, their skin following a same pattern as they began to slide off, clumps of their skin sliding off like melted wax. They sunk right to the ground and their flesh and blood began to merge as two sets of spider like legs began to outstretch. The merged blood and flesh began to dark and stretched up over the walls of the spa, while two sets of arms began to rise out from their sides...

Back inside, Master Fu had finished telling them of what had happened, and Adrien didn't look very happy to hear of it, though Nino was looking at him all over as if he was wondering if he heard it right.

"Wait...you created a Sentimonster and destroyed the temple because you were hungry!? Dude, talk about getting Hangry!" he yelled in shock, leaving Master Fu shyly rubbing his head.

Adrien just sighed and looked down.

"Great, all over food..." he grumbled.

Master Fu waved his hands in assurance.

"But the thing is, when I last saw Feast, he was buried alive under the rubble. Now, if this enemy of the Kwamis is indeed hiding out there, it could very well be using your mother to create more Sentimonsters for her to keep them going. There is a chance your mother is alive." he said in utter certainty, getting Adrien to look at him with some light returning to his eyes upon hearing it.

His body felt a run of energy go through him as it cane to him on what this meant.

"So my mom has been out there all this time, living like a slave to whoever this monster is...she could be starving to death! If that's the case, there's no time to lose!" he said as he sprung up onto his feet, looking ready for a fight, leaving everyone staring at him in shock as he turned to Alix, his face full of determination.

"Alix, open up a portal! We're going to Tibet and we're going to save my mom!" he stated, no fault in his voice.

He was ready to go through with this, ready to reunite with his mother. The way his voice went out shot a boost through everyone and they all stood up, smiling at him in admiration, with a slight look of awe in Marinette's eyes as she stood by his side, glad to see his energy was still there.

But just as Alix got Fluff out to begin a transformation with her, they all paused as they noticed a stretch of darkness covering the windows of the building. The Gorilla froze as he wondered what it was, though Constantine sighed as he slowly got up, looking fully out of the window.

"Well lads, if any of you have arachnophobia, you best run for yer lives." he said bluntly as he could see the many eyes of the Ziszhui just through the darkness...

* * *

_**Our heroes are learning plenty about Adrien's mother and are keen to get looking for her. But will that journey be cut short before it even begins? The Ziszhui are here and chances are, they're not letting them go easily...**_

_**Tune in next time to see if our heroes can get out of this mess and if Kyle Rayner will enter the picture soon enough...**_


	3. Chapter 2: Darkness Rising

_Chapter 2: Darkness Rising_

If this was the closest they were to experiencing a flood, this was it.

Dark ooze seeped in through the small gaps of the old building, forcing Constantine to step back as it began to encircle them. Still, instincts kicked in with the young superheroes as they realised what they were now up against. Marinette and Adrien turned to their friends.

"No time to stand around, suit up!" the former ordered as Tikki and Plagg floated next to her and Adrien.

"You hear M'Lady, let's kick some butt!" Adrien ordered, to which they all followed up with heir own magical call to their Kwamis.

For a split second, their collective flashes of transformations brightened the dark room in their bright colours, and if their guests around them paid any attention, the ooze shrunk back a bit, giving everyone a bit more space. Standing there in their bright colours of the animals they were based off of, they analysed the situation they were in, seeing the ooze was regaining ground now that their brightness had died down. Ladybug looked to Bunnyx.

"Right, we need to lower the risks. Bunnyx, get Master Fu, Nathalie and the Gorilla out! Chat Noir, try and cut back this stuff!" Ladybug ordered, getting a quick nod from the rabbit styled heroine.

"On it!" she said as she reached over to grab Master Fu, lifting the old man with ease before dragging Nathalie towards the door nearby that wasn't affected by the ooze.

Chat Noir extended his staff and activated the acid like glowing tips on it, darting forward as he planted his staff onto a large lump of ooze. He watched as the power he used devoured the ooze, seeing it begin to shrink back upon receiving such a hit from his staff. He continued to clear the space ahead of them, his staff zapping away at the strange material and turning it to ash with a single touch from his tips. Yet each strike he made on each piece of the liquid was destroyed, more just slid in and filled the spaces.

He looked back to the Gorilla as Bunnyx kept Nathalie and Master Fu together.

"Go now!" he ordered his bodyguard, who looked unsure about doing so, for he always looked after Adrien when driving him around and still felt a sense of instinct in doing so now.

Sadly, this moment of uncertainty was enough to change the Gorilla's state in this situation, for a trail of the dark ooze slid under his feet, causing his eyes to widen as he felt it stick onto his shoes. Chat Noir gasped as he watched his bodyguard get absorbed into a wall covered in the strange substance, like he was dragged at a speed that went in a blink. The Gorilla gasped as he felt the liquid tighten around his body and pull him closer to the wall, his usually hard face filled with fear. It felt as if the wall itself was eating him, and such a thought was enough to leave someone utterly fearful.

Ladybug drew out her Ladyblades and sliced at the sides around the Gorilla, but each piece she cut down, another took hold of the Gorilla. Carapace stepped in, grabbing the Gorilla's wrists to try and pull him out, but this did little to help as Carapace felt his feet being dragged towards the Gorilla instead, watching on as the Gorilla began to vanish inside the wall of darkness that was overtaking him. The turtle styled superhero winced as he saw the ooze overtake the Gorilla's hands, forcing him to let go, leaving them to watch on as the Gorilla was sucked into the darkness, no sign of his large body to be seen from their eyes anymore.

Chat Noir stood there in shock for a moment, his breathing getting quicker as it occurred to him what just happened. His fingers trembled and his eyes turned narrow as his teeth were bared in anger. He looked around at the darkening room in rage and snarled, lashing his staff around at any of the substance that was closest to him, wildly swinging to destroy any piece to drive it away from his remaining loved ones.

Bunnyx saw enough and began to draw a portal, looking over to Constantine as he pulled his lighter out.

"You need to leave as well, c'mon!" she ordered, not seeing a dark figure riding behind her and Master Fu and Nathalie. Constantine shook his head as he flicked the lighter on and calmly put his thumb on the small flame it held.

"No can do, sweetheart, I'm not one for running from a fight with the dicks with magic. I'm using my fists, but me magic is one to be reckoned with." he said calmly as he held the flame in between his thumb and finger, before throwing out the flame like a fireball onto the substance surrounding them.

Everyone jumped back as they saw the fire spread in a flash, covering the ooze with its strong heat and eating away at it, giving them more space to stand in as the fire pushed back the darkness. Queen B looked at Constantine in amazement.

"You...you've gotta teach us that, please!" she pleaded with him. Constantine waved her off with a smirk.

"One thing at a time, queenie, still need to get everyone out after all." he pointed out as he turned to Bunnyx, only for him to freeze as they all saw the figure make its move on Bunnyx.

It struck her on the head with two of its four fists, hitting her on both sides, hard enough to daze her before it leapt to the ceiling and wrapped its legs over her shoulders and tossed her aside, sending her sprawling to Rena Rouge's side before it pounced on Master Fu, Nathalie and Nooroo, pushing them right to the floor. It was a Ziszhui.

A moment of confusion passed over the heroes before Queen B responded, using her spinning top to hook around the frightening spider creature, pulling its arms to its sides before she gave it a hard pull and swung it over towards Ladybug, who slashed it in half with her Ladyblades, watching as its body dropped lifelessly in two pieces. Carapace stared at it in shock, holding his shield close to himself out of worry it'd spring back to life.

"Dude...is that a spider!?" he asked, his voice full of fear as he took it in. Constantine rolled his eyes.

"Well of course it is you bloomin'-"

He was cut off as loud hisses echoed throughout the room, making everyone turn to see more Ziszhui walking right through the fiery wall Constantine created. There was about nine of them, and it certainly was daunting on the heroes, seeing they just walked through the fire like it wasn't even there. Ladybug, however, looked hard as she readied her Ladyblades as they faced them.

"Kill them all!" she ordered, no hint of fear or uncertainty in her voice. She was determined to fight off theses monsters.

So on came the fight. Ladybug shot forward and went to slice down another one, only for her opponent to block her weapons with its own four swords before it shot up a leg that hit her in the chin, sending her flying back. Chat Noir hissed in anger at seeing his lover get hit, so he stood over her and countered an incoming strike of the Ziszhui's swords with his staff, before he shot a clawed hand out and slashed at its neck, drawing a small amount of blood that sent it staggering back.

Queen B used her spinning top to launch a string of distanced whacking on a couple of heads of the Ziszhui, doing so enough to knock them both aside before Rena Rouge slid underneath them both and tripped them both up from behind, planting her staff in the open part of one of their backs, causing it to scream in agony as she pulled her staff out sideways, killing it. The other Ziszhui, however, kicked her in the stomach and sent her flying back from it, before it spun itself back up and batted Queen B away with a two hit blow from its fists.

Master Fu and Nathalie, however, were still in the interests of the Ziszhui, two of whom managed to grab hold of them both by their arms and drag them towards a gap in the fire. Nooroo tried to fly away, but one of the Ziszhui snatched hold of him and pulled him close as they neared the gap. Master Fu and Nathalie struggled, both of them trying to pull themselves free from the grip the monsters had on them, but each time they tried, the more tighter their grips gotten, making them cry out in pain as they thought they were gonna get their bones snapped.

Carapace noticed this and tried to take action. He put his shield ahead of him and ran forward, bashing another Ziszhui aside with his shield before he tossed his shield out like a frisbee, watching as it tore through the air and dashed right through the neck of one of the Ziszhui, killing it right away. This did little to help Master Fu and Nathalie though, for they, along with Nooroo, were pulled through the wall of darkness, crying out as they were lost in its ever widening mass.

"H-help us!" Nathalie wailed as she was pulled into the dark ooze.

"D-don't let the darkness consume you all!" Master Fu croaked as he disappeared, his voice trailing off once he and Nathalie were swallowed up by the darkness.

Carapace could stand there helplessly, feeling responsible for Fu and Nathalie's abduction as he'd failed to stop it from happening at all. Whatever monster they were up against, it was far beyond anything he'd seen with the Light! Even Harvest couldn't compete with this and he was the one capable of ripping souls out of bodies! Carapace could feel his nerves tingling, numbing the feeling in his hands slightly as panic began to take over.

"Oh dudes, this is bad! This is bad! This is so bad!" he cried frantically, "This ooze thing got Master Fu and Nathalie and I bet we're next!"

"You'll be if you stand there having a nervous breakdown! Snap out of it and help us fight them off!" Rena Rouge snapped, hoping that the sound of her voice would at least ease some of the tension in her boyfriend.

She held her flute up to block a karate chop from one of the Ziszhui as it aimed a powerful blow for her head. Even though she blocked the blow, Rena Rouge could feel the impact shuddering through her arms and making her question how her flute hadn't snapped in two after that. Just that block had given her some useful information about this opponent: the Ziszhui had great upper body strength and could launch powerful blows with just its bare hands. The vulpine Miraculer knew full well that she would have to rely on speed and using the Ziszhui's strength against it if she had a chance of defeating it. Rena stepped back as the Ziszhui prepared to karate chop her again, missing as she leapt into the air. One of the many benefits of having a Miraculous was being able to jump very high and Rena cried out with glee as she sailed over the arachnoid creature in one graceful leap. Now behind it, she aimed a powerful kick into the centre of its back. Unfortunately, it seemed to mildly annoy it more than hurt it. The Ziszhui spun around and backhanded Rena across the face, throwing her directly towards another Ziszhui who raised its fist and swung it down, slamming her hard onto the floor. The vixen girl yelled in pain and tried her best to hold it in as the other Ziszhui stabbed down at her with its spider-like leg. If she'd been in her civilian guise, the leg would've impaled straight through her like a sword through flesh. Rena groaned, clutching her stomach as the other Ziszhui drew out its four swords and raised two of them to cut her into pieces. But as Rena was about to be divided, Carapace snapped out of his panicked state and tossed his shield towards the spider creature. The Ziszhui was hit full on by the shield, almost falling over flat on its face from the impact and it fought for balance. That gave Rena time to get up and sweep its legs out from underneath it. The Ziszhui crashed down on the floor and dropped one of its swords. Rena scooped it up and stabbed the Ziszhui through the head with it. The arachnid monster was killed instantly, its body going still seconds after its head was penetrated. Carapace ran over to Rena and hugged her, grateful she was still alive.

"You alright babe?" Carapace asked.

"Sure am after you reacted just in time!" Rena replied, "Good save back there!"

"You know I'd do anything for you Rena." Carapace said modestly, "But we can't celebrate now, there's still more of those freaky bugs to fight."

"BEHIND YOU!" Rena Rouge shrieked suddenly.

Carapace turned and saw the first Ziszhui that Rena had been fighting earlier was leaping towards them, baring its fangs and screeching viciously. It was a shrill, ear-piercing sound that made everyone shudder and wince from the awful sound. Rena jumped up and kicked the creature in the face before it could land on her and Carapace. The blow was enough to throw the Ziszhui aside and leave it rolling across the floor as it wondered what had just hit it. Then both Rena and Carapace finished it off together by picking up a sword each from the one they'd just killed and stabbing it twice in the back. They tried not to cringe as it flailed helplessly, literally clinging onto what was left of its life before finally falling silent and still, succumbing to the swords that had penetrated it.

"These things are gross but up close, they're even worse..." Rena muttered, trying not to gag.

"When are spiders EVER appealing to look at?" Carapace retorted.

"Want to know what's more appealing? Not getting killed in this fire!" Queen B yelled as she spun her spinning top around to form a shield to block an incoming shot of webs from another Ziszhui, deflecting the shot away from her.

Bunnyx jumped over her and hooked her umbrella handle around the wrist of the creature before twisting it around hard enough to snap it out of place. It hissed loudly in pain, its pincers flapping wildly. Ladybug finished this one off with a shot to the head with one of the Ladyblades, killing it right away before performing a roundhouse kick on its standing lifeless body, sending it flying into the other that was throttling Constantine, forcing it to release the occult detective, who couldn't help himself but give Ladybug a thumbs up as he ran over to her.

Standing by her side, he watched on as more of the creatures began to emerge through his fire, leaving him groaning in bitterness.

"Bloody things, so persistent. What you get with cannibals though." he bluntly stated, getting out his lighter to ready another form of magic to drive off the monsters. Ladybug, however, pushed his arm down and shook her head.

"We're in too tight of a space as it is. Bunnyx, get us out now, we're taking this outside!" She ordered.

The pink haired teen nodded, this time acting fast on her orders as she drew a portal open. Another Ziszhui tried to leap at them, but Chat Noir shoved his staff right into its neck and watched it dissolve into atoms, giving Bunnyx time to finish opening the portal. She sighed gladly as she could see the road outside, so she grabbed Rena Rouge and shoved her through, not wasting any time to stick around.

"Let's go, now!" she yelled, ushering Carapace through the portal. Queen B quickly followed with Constantine covering her, following after her before Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped through with Bunnyx, who closed the portal just in time before a Ziszhui could even cut her.

Outside, they gasped for the air around them, glad to be out of the fire filled building they were just in, back in the sunlight together and with more space around them. However, they couldn't rest now, for they knew the danger was still around them, seeing it upon opening their eyes.

Around them, they could see Master Fu's home was covered in the dark ooze that was spreading from the Ziszhui that just shed their human skins off, standing there like roots stretching out underground, only this time it was the opposite. They stood still, gazing up at the building like they were mere dummies, not even concerned with the damage they were doing. The dark liquid coming off of them began to change its course, as if realising where the heroes were now, seeping over the road towards them.

While the heroes stepped back on alarm, Ladybug and Chat Noir's eyes widened as they heard some sort of muffled screaming, causing them to look to their right to see the four familiar bodies of Master Fu, Nathalie, the Gorilla and Nooroo embedded in the wall outside the building. A loud gasp of horror came from them as they could see this substance was slowly killing them and it only made the adrenaline rush faster through Chat Noir, who went to cut them out, only to get pulled back by Carapace as a stretch of the darkness nearly swallowed him from below. Following this was a set of more familiar figures rising from the ooze, hissing lowly as they took form and drew their weaponry, the Ziszhui's still growing in number, which only alarmed the heroes.

Bunnyx's and Rena's ears picked up the larger amount of gasps of civilians all around them, seeing they were watching on in fear at what was going on. Some started to run, but others were so shocked they just stood where they were, not sure of what to do. Rena decided to put her words put, already figuring out a plan as she gotten her boyfriend by the arm.

"Need to see some extra shield work put to use, hun. Can you try and use it to cover about four streets and push the civilians back?" she asked quietly as the Ziszhui began to advance on them. His heart racing, Carapace could only nod as he raised his shield.

"On it, babe! SHELL-TER!" he yelled, slamming his shield down right onto the ground in front of him.

A bright spark of green danced over his shield before a glowing streak of the same colour shot out from his shield, covering a large amount of ground and air, bigger than any shield he'd created before. The civilians who didn't run were pushed back as far as the construct could push them, cutting them away from the Ziszhui now, trapping them inside the shield with them. But what mattered was the civilian's safety, now they had to deal with the threat with no one else getting hurt.

Ladybug gave Carapace a nod before raising her Ladyblades.

"We need to kill those Ziszhui that's spreading the darkness, kill them and it might destroy the ooze! Carapace, recharge ASAP! Let's go, everyone!" she ordered.

"How will we know which ones in particular are the ones spreading the ooze?" Queen Bee asked, "It could be any of them or all of them for all we know and there's already too many to fight!"

"Then we try to kill all of them." Ladybug declared, "It might sound suicidal, but we'll have to try anything if we're gonna stop those monsters!"

"I bet they're working for the monster that has my mom." Cat Noir muttered, "I mean it can't be a coincidence we just happen to talk about her and then all hell breaks loose!"

"I was thinking the same thing kitty." Ladybug agreed, "Maybe we can get one of them to tell us everything...if they can even speak that is."

"Let's find out then!" he replied as he volleyed himself forward and swung his staff down onto one of the Ziszhui's heads, his staff's glowing tips turning it to ashes upon hitting it.

He then trailed his staff down over another piece of the ooze and tore it right across, destroying it and regaining ground for a bit. Ladybug saved him from being sliced up from behind by another Ziszhui, blocking the monster's swords. The impact brought her down onto her knees, given the creature had four arms to help itself out. But Ladybug wasn't letting that stop her, so she pushed his blades aside from her and used the given space to slice her blades down onto his shoulders, slicing his arms right off. She watched as it hissed wildly and fell to its knees, before she shoved her blades into its chest, killing it right away.

Queen B ran at a few that was coming at Constantine, spinning her trompo out to lash at them in a circular manner, lashing away in a blur of yellow that nearly tore their claws off. Her arm growing tired from the constant swinging, she pulled it back and then shot it out to one coming closer to her, wrapping it around its neck and dragging it onto its back. It tried to grab her by her hair, but she flipped over it and shoved her trompo right into its chest, leaving a clean hole right in it from where she hit it.

Constantine made his move on the others, strutting right up to one in particular of the group, looking rather annoyed by them as he kept his hand in his pockets, eyeing them lowly.

"My old man use to tell me so many scary things about spiders. Gonna be honest, you all sound like a load of castrated boys who failed miserably in the music industry. Hard to believe you eat some of yer children." he said bluntly, not impressed by them as he looked them right in the many eyes of theirs.

The lead of the group hissed at him, only making Constantine sigh tiredly.

"Yeah, right there, definitely lost yer balls. I can help end your misery." he then assured as he then pulled out his lighter and flicked the flame on his thumb. He clenched his hand into a fist and shoved it right into the mouth of the monster, watching as it's arms flailed about frantically. The others tried to attack Constantine, but he pulled his hand out of the Ziszhui that he attacked, watching as its head began to melt before its body heated and blew up, the explosion consuming the others that tried to pounce on him. Constantine smirked.

"Better than conkers." he remarked before he turned to face another Ziszhui coming at him.

Bunnyx spun her umbrella around to deflect an incoming shot of a web from another Ziszhui, covering Nino as he quickly recharged Wayzz. She glanced down at him as she then gotten into a lock with the Ziszhui and its swords.

"You better hurry up, we need some spinning shield action!" she yelled as she pushed back against the Ziszhui. Nino groaned.

"It ain't easy to concentrate under all this pressure ya know!?" he hit back as he fed Wayzz a piece of food, crouching low to avoid getting hit by any of the combatants. Wayzz swallowed it quickly, but he quickly flew up to Nino's ear with a serious look.

"Nino, I need to pass this onto you, it's vital for your victory. The source of the ooze is that Ziszhui standing in the middle of it, the one who's not moved. Kill it and the ooze will be destroyed." he informed quickly, his voice full of desperation to his holder to get this done with.

Nino listened well and nodded at him.

"Got you loud and clear my dude! Wayzz, Shell On!" he yelled, his voice full of determination upon hearing this.

A flash of his colour and standing right behind Bunnyx was now Carapace, recharged and ready to help. He sneaked around Bunnyx and blocked an incoming charge from the Ziszhui, sending it stumbling back from them. He followed up his defensive by whacking it up the chin and then slammed it down on top, causing its head to splatter from the impact. Watching as it fell onto the ground in front of them, Carapace grinned at his shield.

"Love using this." he said proudly before looking back to Bunnyx.

"Wayzz just told me the spider dude creating the ooze is the one in the middle of it, the one standing still. We gotta get him!" he informed her. Bunnyx smiled.

"Great that I can teleport then. I'll find a good view to attack him from." she replied, looking to the rooftops.

Ladybug was fighting back to back against her boyfriend, feeling his back right against hers as they walked in a circle to deflect the incoming shots of webs from the Ziszhui coming around them. Chat Noir noticed the colour of the webs they were shooting and he cringed.

"Red webs? Not liking the looks of those, M'Lady!" he yelled as he deflected another.

"I don't wanna end up in one either, red or white! We need to turn the tide!" she said, getting frustrated at being on the defensive in this. Chat Noir gave her a smile.

"Guess there's one thing for it." he said cheekily as he slipped around her front.

She almost frowned at him in confusion as he slid his hands down her legs, but it then occurred to her what he was thinking. She gave him a nod as he got hold of her ankles and lifted her from them. Leaning on his heels, Chat Noir spun himself and Ladybug around in a circular way, Ladybug outstretching her Ladyblades and slicing them right over the Ziszhui's around them both, bringing down the circling spiders. She had to admit, it was weird fighting from this position, but seeing them all drop to the ground with each hit she landed was enough to satisfy her.

Of course, there was only two more, but they could handle them together. Both coming at them from their own behinds, they fought back. Chat Noir pulled Ladybug to him and released her ankles, allowing her to wrap her legs right around his waist, while he held her from hers. Both outstretched their weapons and shot them right into the chests of the incoming monsters, killing them right away with just one hit from them both. Both breathed heavily as they saw they lowered the numbers they were up against, allowing Ladybug to gently slide down Chat Noir's chest and onto her feet. They looked at each other for a moment, their hearts beating fast as they shared a long look at the other, a small smile on both of them as they knew they still had them both in this.

Their gazing was cut short as they heard Rena Rouge fighting by herself, surrounded by four of the Ziszhui and was now struggling. Both of them ran over to help her in this.

Bunnyx has used her great speed to dash up the drainpipe of a building, landing on the rooftop to get a good enough look on the fight below. From what she could see, it was a fight they weren't gonna win, for every Ziszhui they killed, more would rise. Not unless she destroyed the source of it. Her eyes looked down to see the Ziszhui standing still in the middle of the ooze, watching as it somewhat pumped more of it out from its legs. Clearly this was it, and she had a good enough look at it to go and make her move.

Opening her portal, Bunnyx could see the Ziszhui was right in front of her. She grinned as she raised her arms, wanting to save her friends and stop this monstrous creature. Putting her arms through, she was ready to grab it by its head and pull it off...

But instead it turned out differently. The Ziszhui's arms moved from their sides and rose up. Before Bunnyx could even gasp, the arms snatched hold of hers and pulled her right through, bringing her face to face with the Ziszhui. Bunnyx hissed at him as she tried to push his grip off, but instead one arm released hold of hers and got her by the neck, beginning to choke her. Bunnyx wasn't having it though, for instead she brought her feet up and started kicking at it in the face, doing so hard enough that she managed to get it's right arms to let go, but it still had hold of her by the neck, she began to punch away at the arm holding her, desperate to get it off of her. However, the Ziszhui responded in a weird way.

It spoke.

It spoke first with a hiss. A hiss that felt like a chill that ran through everyone's bones, causing them all to freeze where they were in the middle of their fight. It felt like they were just ran through with a sword and lost all their strength to fight on. Their eyes turned to see the Ziszhui, shocked to see it had Bunnyx, who was still struggling.

"Bunnyx!" Ladybug cried as she went towards them. But then came another hiss that made her freeze right where she was, her bones almost ready to jump from her body.

The Ziszhui spoke.

"This battle is pointlessss...you are tired and we are annoyed...surrender your Miraculousessss, and the lives of your friends will be sparrreed." it said coldly, its voice like a whisper that spoke against the running wound of flesh in its neck. Everyone looked to each other, their fears all based around one person in this situation. The one person who was still fighting, even as she was being choked. Her pained eyes gave them a hard look.

"D-Don't...g-give in! Kill them!" she choked out, determination still there in her voice.

Even then, it wasn't easy to decide. Risk their friend's life? Would she be able to get away? It was never easy...

Which is why the choice wasn't made by them. Instead, it was chosen when the green shield around them began to lighten from a soft white glow coming from above. The Miraculers looked up to see a white flash descending from the sky and to where they were standing. It was such a heavenly glow that Ladybug briefly wondered if god himself had come to help them stop the Ziszhui. Carapace's Shell-Ter disappeared as the white light descended further and the Miraculers stepped back as it touched down on the ooze covered ground. The Ziszhui hissed angrily and shielded their eyes, unable to handle the bright light. It was too much for creatures of darkness like them. The Ziszhui that was strangling Bunnyx even released her so it could recoil from the bright light. Bunnyx ran back over to her team to see what was happening. The Miraculers squinted as best as they could to see if they could make out what was causing the white glow. Constantine already seemed to know.

"Lanterns, always coming at the last minute to get us out of a right scrape with death." he said, smirking.

The light died down slightly so everyone could see better on who was causing it. The Miraculers stared at what looked to be a very handsome man with short black hair and dressed entirely in white. He looked like the kind of person who wielded great power and knew how to use it. The white aura surrounding him gave him an almost heavenly appearance, like he was some sort of guardian angel sent from above to help them. But Ladybug was sure this had nothing to do with god. It had to be yet another superhero they were meeting for the first time. First Batman, then Wonder Woman and then Young Justice. There was no telling who they were meeting next, although she suspected she might have some idea on who or what this man was.

Unaware of the teen heroes, Kyle Rayner took in his surroundings, seeing the black ooze enveloping the nearby spa and the Ziszhui cowering in fear from his bright light. He narrowed his masked eyes.

"Huh. When Mogo and I sensed a rising fear, I suppose spiders should've been the first thing we suspected. They're always good at scaring people." the White Lantern mused.

The Ziszhui shook their heads to try and clear their minds so they could attack this stranger. If he was with the Miraculers, he had to die too. They skittered towards him on their spindly legs but Kyle wasn't having any of them.

"Good thing I bought my work boots with me, they're good at squashing bugs like you!" Kyle cried, summoning a huge white energy construct of a pair of working boots and bringing them crashing down hard on the Ziszhui.

The spider-creatures were squashed flat against the ground and the boots twisted and jerked to grind them further into it. Red and black blood seeped out from underneath the boot, mixing in with the ooze. Despite being glad to see the Ziszhui falling to this man, it still made the Miraculers cringe slightly. They had to imagine that was extremely painful. Ladybug watched, fascinating with the white costumed man as he seemed to perform some kind of magic trick. He held his fist out and a beam of white light extended from it, forming into a shape and he would then use said shape to fight the Ziszhui off. This time his white energy formed into a giant fly swatter and he used it to squash more of the Ziszhui. The energy construct was the size of a New York billboard so Kyle managed to kill plenty of the creatures. But like with the Miraculers, he couldn't keep them down forever. More Ziszhui formed up from the ooze and came at him with their swords at the ready. Kyle kept forming construct after construct to squash them all, ranging from giant car tyres to a tank to flatten them with its treads and giant sledgehammers but they just kept coming back for more. Frowning, Kyle realized what he was up against.

"I always hate it when I face these kinds of villains, the ones that keep forming after you kill several of them." he muttered, "If I can find the source of their creation, I might stop them for good."

"Excuse me! We can help with that!" Ladybug cried out to Kyle, "There's one Ziszhui that's standing there and not moving at all! He's the one you have to take out!"

Kyle turned to see who'd said that and he caught his first sight of Paris's heroes. He had heard from his friends in the Justice League that Paris had its own superheroes and that they'd proven themselves to be very brave, powerful, hardy heroes so he wasn't surprised to see them. He didn't have time to take a good look at them as he still had a job to do. He gave a quick wave to Ladybug, silently thanking her for the information, and flew towards the one Ziszhui who wasn't moving. The arachnid creature glared at him viciously, looking as if he was daring Kyle to come at him.

"Take me out if you dare! The Ziszhui cannot be killed for good!" it hissed menacingly, "Our masssster will sssssend more of ussss and then we'll consume thisss world completely with our darknessss!"

"Yeah, the thing is I've already dealt with that kind of crap." Kyle said dismissively, "The Black Lanterns were just as crazy as you about making the world all dark and they're gone for good. You've got NOT chance!"

He then thrust his hands forward and an explosion of light erupted from his body, spreading a blinding, dazzling glow that obliterated the ooze all around and vaporized the Ziszhui that was causing the whole thing to happen. The last thing anyone heard was an agonized screech as the black and red spider was destroyed instantly by the light. The Miraculers closed their eyes to try and shield them from the light but even that barely helped as it was still too bright. The light destroyed all the ooze, restoring everything more or less to normal and every last Ziszhui was reduced to atoms, not even a hint left of their existence. Master Fu, Nathalie, Nooroo and the Gorilla were freed from the wall now the ooze was gone and they gasped for breath, glad to still be alive. Seconds later, the light died down and everything fell silent. The Miraculers opened their eyes, seeing that only Kyle was left standing. They knew full well that next time, they'd have an advantage over the Ziszhui as they knew their weakness. Creatures of the dark like them were never any good against bright light. Kyle looked around to see that the ooze and the Ziszhui had all gone, satisfied with his handiwork.

"As I said. No chance." he sneered, "Though I still got that feeling in me so I doubt that was the rising fear Mogo sensed..."

It was then he paused and noticed the building of Master Fu's was still on fire. He nearly smacked himself upon seeing it.

"Ugh, there's me still talking to myself! Need to put this fire out now!" he said as he took to the air, ready to put the fire out himself.

However, a little poke in his back stopped him from doing anything else. He turned to see Chat Noir had extended his baton to poke him, getting his attention. Kyle Rayner blinked to fully register who was there. Chat Noir gave a smile to him as Ladybug stepped up, her yoyo in hand.

"No need, pal! M'Lady has that covered!" he assured as Ladybug beamed, swinging her yoyo steadily.

"And this one's coming from the yoyo! Miraculous Ladybug!" she yelled brightly, shooting her yoyo in the air so it could unleash her powerful healing magic to undo the damage.

From where he was, Kyle watched on in fascination as the magical colours swirled across the building of Master Fu's, the fire vanishing as the swirl covered over it. Yet Kyle felt strange inside when he saw this being used...somehow it made his aura glow brighter and he felt an energy boost shoot up inside of him. He didn't know why but...it felt very familiar. It was as if he knew it but he couldn't figure out how.

Shortly, Master Fu's home was turned back to normal, looking like it was newly built and no sign of smoke or dents in the walls of the building. He sighed pleasantly as he petted Nooroo on the head, smiling at him.

"At least we have a home to go back to. Thank you, Ladybug." he said kindly as she slung her yoyo to her side.

"Yeah, but all thanks should go to ol' Rayner up there! Weren't for him, we'd all be shrunken husks by now!" Constantine reminded them all, giving the White Lantern a wave, sounding somewhat pleased to be around him. Kyle rolled his eyes at the Brit but smiled, seeing there was at least some gratitude from him.

Everyone's eyes focussed on him as he lowered himself to the ground, the look of amazement on them clear as the bright skies above them. Kyle gave them a smile that was full of friendliness, giving them a lot of ease as he neared them. He studied them all curiously and couldn't help but have a sense of fondness spark inside of him as he took in all their costumes, seeing how bright they were and how young they looked with energy clearly in them. His eyes then turned to Constantine and he smirked.

"Finally decided to let some light in your life, hey Constantine?" he asked teasingly, to which Constantine poked himself with a finger.

"I always embrace life, mate, just in my own way!" he said almost defensively, though a hint of humour showed he wasn't hurt by the comment.

Kyle then looked back to the group of heroes before him with interest in his eyes. Queen B stepped forward and a giddy look came over her face, as if more excitement lightened up inside of her.

"Are you like, an angel or something?" she asked in awe, taking in his marvellous glow of light. Kyle giggled and waved it off, though he wasn't being rude about it.

"No, but I get that a lot wherever I go. I'm Kyle Rayner, the White Lantern to be more specific." he said brightly, being polite in his introductions. Rena Rouge grinned as she nudged Carapace upon hearing this.

"Figured it! It was the constructs that gave it away!" she said loudly, getting a roll of eyes from her boyfriend with a small smile to see her geeking out again.

"A White Lantern? Think I remember something weird happening years ago where everyone in the Justice League became one..." Ladybug said, speaking her thoughts loudly as she remembered the incident of the Blackest Night. Pretty scary given she was only a pre-teen at the time. Kyle nodded.

"Yeah, but now I'm the only one. Oh, I never got to ask, who are you all? I've been in space for a long time I don't keep up with much stuff on Earth." he then asked, respectful in his questions. Ladybug smiled and began pointing all around her team.

"We're the heroes of Paris. I'm Ladybug, this is my boyfriend Chat Noir, my best friend Rena Rouge, her boyfriend Carapace, and our two skilled and strong friends Queen B and Bunnyx." she introduced, all of them othering a greeting with their hands.

Kyle looked thoughtful for a moment as he took this in before it clicked into him.

"Oh yeah! I...think I have heard of you! Wonder Woman told us Apokalips got liberated by you and her and we had to help Big Barda clean it up! Gotta say, certainly do fit the greatness of Paris." he said, being mindful of his words so as not to get tangent in with his words, "Still, just as Constantine said, good thing I arrived because it looked liked you were gonna get killed" he pointed out, to which Bunnyx gave him a nod.

"Yeah, thanks for that. Those creeps sure have some strength on them." she said bluntly as she rubbed her arms and throat.

"Still, it is very odd that you of all people came here to help. If I'm right, I did hear you say that a powerful form of fear attracted you here. Given no one sees you on Earth that much, I guess this must be important to you." Nathalie then spoke up, her voice full of interest as she looked at him, clearly well thoughtful on the key things Kyle said.

He gave a nod.

"Yeah. Being a White Lantern means you've mastered other emotions in the Emotional Spectrum. I sensed a strong amount of fear coming from Earth, but this wasn't my original destination actually. What were those things?" he asked as he explained his reasons for being here.

"Well, if I'm right, I think Nooroo can fill us in on it. Wayzz told us how to defeat the Ziszhui when I had to recharge him, so we can ask him." Carapace pointed out, looking to the Kwami in Master Fu's hands.

Nooroo cringed, not really up for explaining such gruesome creatures, but he was the only Kwami here right now and they needed to know what they were up against.

"Those were the Ziszhui. The person who has Emilie captive creates them. They are spiders she mutates with her powers, giving them humanoid forms and helps them disguise themselves as humans. While they are soldiers, they are skilled." he explained to them, his voice quiet as he thought back to the times he had to battle them.

"Ugh, at least we know what spiders sound like, just as horrible as they look." Carapace said with a slight shiver, clearly not liking it. Ladybug picked up on what Nooroo said and then looked to Kyle, her eyes full of thought as she remembered what he said.

"Kyle, you said you came here because you could sense fear coming from Earth but you changed your destination. Where exactly were you originally going?" she asked, wanting to be sure of what he was doing exactly.

Kyle gave her a answer with a hand aiming behind him.

"I was going to Tibet. That's where I was sensing the fear coming from, but what I sensed in Paris was similar. I came here because I was worried people were in danger of being hurt by those who might've been affected." he explained to her.

The mere mention of Tibet was enough to make the Miraculers gasp in unison. Even Master Fu was surprised to hear that such a staggering coincidence was going on. A chance like this was literally one in a million! Kyle noticed the surprised reactions from the super-teens and raised an eyebrow.

"What? Were you guys planning to go there as well?" he asked curiously.

"Believe it or not, yes!" Cat Noir exclaimed, "What are the cat-astrophic odds?!"

Kyle turned to Ladybug with a cheeky smile on his face.

"Does your boyfriend always come up with such obvious puns?" he snickered.

"Oh believe me, it grows on you over time. I've gotten used to them by now." Ladybug admitted, smirking cheekily back at her boyfriend.

"It's part of my charm." Cat Noir retorted, "But in all seriousness, we were indeed planning to head there ourselves. Before this whole Ziszhui attack happened, our master was telling us that they'd found some clues as to where my mother disappeared to. She's been gone for so long that me and..." he paused, unable to bring himself to mention his father. He instead just carried on without mentioning anyone else.

"...we just assumed the worst. But now we here she's probably alive and a prisoner of an enemy of the Kwami, the little creatures that give us our powers. And Tibet is supposedly where she might be."

Kyle gave Cat Noir a sympathetic gaze. Maybe it was the compassion from the Indigo Lanterns that was making him feel that way but some of it was his own compassion for the poor teen. He had met many people in his life as a Green and White Lantern that had lost parents and it was always hard to hear those stories. Nothing in the world was more crippling to a child, teenage or not, than losing a parent. He now found himself determined to help Cat Noir be reunited with his mother. It seemed that his initial goal was a happy coincidence for these heroes as they had been planning to go there as well.

"I'm sorry to hear that you've had to go so long fearing your mother might be dead." the artist said softly, "At least now you have a glimmer of hope that she's alive and that our goals align at this moment. Heh, I know someone who'd love that glimmer of hope you're feeling." he murmured, thinking back to the Blue Lanterns and what they stood for.

"So since you was going to Tibet anyway, you may as well join us in our mission to go there." Ladybug suggested, "What do you think? It'd be great for us to team up with an actual White Lantern!"

Kyle shrugged.

"Don't see any problem with that." he said brightly, "You're the guys who hung out with Batman and Wonder Woman themselves so you're clearly skilled and capable enough to keep up with the Justice League. That and you made it out of Apokalips alive shows that you're quite hardy. Not anyone can visit that place and leave with their sanity, or anything for that matter, in tact."

"I'm just amazed we get out of there and remained mostly stable afterwards." Ladybug said grimly, not wanting to think back to her experiences on the hellish planet.

"And while we're together, I'll maybe figure out what it is about you that seems to cause a reaction in me." Kyle added, making Ladybug look at him quizzically.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Kyle instead just showed Ladybug the answer rather than telling her. He stepped a little closer to Ladybug and as he neared her, his ring glowed a little brighter than usual. He then stepped away from her. The ring was less bright. He came to her again. The ring glowed brighter a second time. He stepped back and the ring's glow dulled again. Ladybug stared in fascination at Kyle's ring.

"It...it's almost like it's...reacting to me in some way!" she gasped, "I don't know, it's like something about me seems to trigger something in it that just makes it brighter!"

"And that's not all." Kyle added, "When you used your superpower, that Miraculous Ladybug thing you did, it made me glow brighter than normal and I felt...an energy boost of some kind. Weirdly enough, I feel like I should know this but I can't quit pinpoint what."

"I just hope it's not the ring trying to hook you two up." Bunnyx said, screwing her face up, "Ladybug's too young for you and she's already taken."

"Bunnyx! Not appropriate!" Ladybug shrieked indignantly.

"Yeah, that was awkward." Kyle said uneasily, "Besides, our rings don't work that way. I'm sure it's just related to the power of Ladybug in some way."

"We can figure that out later." Cat Noir said firmly, "We should get going to Tibet right away! Kyle senses something happening there and we believe my mom's there so we gotta get there now!"

Constantine then waved his hands around as he stepped to Chat Noir's side.

"Now now, my lad! I want to get going as well and find yer mum, but we can't just leave Paris unguarded. Whoever this creepy arachnid lover is, they clearly have a watch on this place. They could snatch it up and use it as a base of operations." he pointed out to him, his voice serious as he looked at him right in the eye, clearly thinking of the bigger part of the situation here.

That made Ladybug and Chat Noir pause for a second and Master Fu nodded upon hearing Constantine's points about this.

"He's right. If you all go, Paris could get attacked again, and I can't defend it on my own. Some of you will have to stay behind." he informed, his voice serious on this.

The two heroic lovers looked at each other for a moment and then to their friends, not sure at first. However, Rena Rouge stepped forward and smiled, giving them a pat on their arms.

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on things. I know Paris like the back of my hand and I have a voice people can't ignore." she said cheekily.

This brightened the insect and cat themed heroes a bit, feeling the pressures lift off them a little.

"Fair point. You are third in command for a reason." Ladybug replied with a smile as Carapace walked beside her.

"Well I'll stick around and help my babe, but it's up to Queen B and Bunnyx." he said as he looked back to the two girls in mention. They looked to have their minds sorted.

"I think we should stay here. Plan it out like this, we stay here, Constantine and Kyle can go with you, an added extra magician and a White Lantern might be enough for you guys to handle together." Queen B explained.

"But if you need to get rescued, give me a call and I'll pull you through." Bunnyx added on, giving them assurance with this.

Nathalie then stepped towards Chat Noir, her voice somewhat sad bit also a hint of determination on her face as she looked at him "I'll come with you as well." she stated in a straight tone, leaving Chat Noir stunned for a second as he looked at her up and down.

"Wha? But Nathalie, you...you don't have any powers, you won't stand a chance. You should stay here and be safe." he pointed out to her, but he got a shake of her head in response.

"No! I let your mother down by not stopping your father and I endangered you by not doing anything! I need to save her and do right by her and you...and I am trained in some cases. Give me a staff and I'll make good use of it." she stated, her made clearly set on doing this.

Chat Noir stared at her for a second with a hint of awe in his eyes. She was really passionate about doing this and was braving to venture into the mountains of Tibet to get Emilie back with him. It was better than seeing her standing back and watching his father brainwash people, he had to give her that. A small smile came over him as he gave her a nod, though he looked at the Gorilla ."

What about him? Is coming or isn't he?" he asked Nathalie, who shook her head.

"He's staying here. I've got him to...keep an eye on something. It's important." she said quietly, leaving Chat Noir tilting his head in interest at what she meant by it.

Bunnyx smiled as she stepped away, seeing everyone was set on doing it like this.

"Okay then. One portal to Tibet coming up!" she said brightly as she drawn her hand out, the light blue energy of her portal colour opening to her.

Kyle watched her open up the portal, interested to see the kind of power this girl had. Normally you needed technology such as Mother Boxes to do something like this. These Kwami creatures that give these teens their powers were certainly something to behold if this is what their wielders could do with them.

After Bunnyx opened up the portal to Tibet, she, Ladybug, Cat Noir, Kyle, Constantine and Nathalie all stepped through to get their mission underway. Rena, Carapace, Queen B, Bunnyx and Master Fu stayed behind, watching them all leave as they headed off into the unknown. What they would find in Tibet, they had no idea but they were confident the team could handle it. The most nerve-racking thing of all was not knowing if Emilie Agreste would even be alive if they found her.

Once Ladybug's team had gone through the portal, the white window to another country closed up and disappeared into thin air. Now the first team was on their way, Rena turned to the others.

"Now as third-in-command, I'm in charge of you all." the vulpine heroine stated, "You all have to do as a say for our mission in keeping Paris safe. I hope you're all gonna be fine with me being in charge."

Bunnyx whistled as she folded her arms.

"Sure, as long as you don't get us to do interviews for the Ladyblog without a plan put in place." she stated bluntly, getting a groan from Rena Rouge.

"Ugh, the last one was a test, it's not been uploaded, how many times do I have to tell you?" the vixen styled heroine yelled, remembering how her attempt to do an interview with Bunnyx became a giggling wreck that resulted in a whack from her umbrella handle after asking how she felt about her suit showing off more curves.

"Well as fourth in command, I say we recharge and keep a lookout from the roofs! Master Fu, you get yourself and Nooroo home, have a rest." Carapace spoke up, giving the elderly man a pat on the shoulder with a smile, which he shared.

"Thank you, Carapace. If you need anything, just ask." he said as he walked back to his home, carrying Nooroo with him. The girls all stared at Carapace, getting a confused look from him.

"What?"

"Well, you took charge straight away! Finding your voice yet, my green darling?" Rena Rouge asked, impressed as they began to walk off towards the other side of the street.

Carapace blushed and giggled at this.

"Oh, I have my qualities, babe. Besides, fourth in command backs up the third in command." he pointed out as Bunnyx and Queen B followed them, both in their own conversation.

"Uh, if he's fourth in command, who's fifth and sixth in command?" Queen B asked in confusion, getting a shrug from Bunnyx.

"Not sure, depends." she said in response.

If only they had noticed the familiar skulky figure eyeing them from the corner far behind them, his leather coat doing well to cover most of his half naked body, though his purple eyes tore into their backs like a pair of knives. If you looked closely, you could see the sclera of his eyes were red, something rather odd with him. A smirk came over his face as he spoke.

"Not long, luv. The cattle have been split, one shall be herded, the other shall be slaughtered. Leave it all for me, for they'll listen to what Chester has to say." he said to no one in particular as he disappeared behind the wall, ready to put his plan into action, for his ideas for Paris were the usual of what he wanted, but he was sure to get it done with some help. This was just what was needed. Divided groups, one for slaughter, one for him to use.

* * *

_**And so the team-up this crossover promises is here. Kyle Rayner is on Earth and helping our Miraculous friends over in Tibet. Will they find Emilie Agreste there? Will they defeat the enemy of the Kwami? Will Rena Rouge and her team keep Paris safe while they're gone? And who's the guy in the coat at the end? All this and more in the next chapter...**_


	4. Chapter 3: New Arrivals

_Chapter 3: New Arrivals_

Time zones work so weird on Earth. Sometimes it feels like you time travel anyway without even needing a time machine. This was something that Ladybug and Chat Noir couldn't help but feel as their feet touched upon the soft soil of the Tibetan land. Instead of being greeted by a youthful sun in the early hours of the day, they saw the sun was now setting, a red glow stretched over the sky as the sun was sinking behind the rising mountains around them. A slight shiver came over them as they fully stood in the area, joined by Kyle, Constantine and Nathalie, the latter of whom looked like she was struggling with the change in temperature. Ladybug blew into her hands to give herself some warmth as she looked at Chat Noir.

"Well, here we are. Tibet. Wonder what the time is?" she said as she huddled closer to her boyfriend as he gotten out the watch in his staff. He could see the time it now read.

"Says it's four forty-five in the afternoon. Might be getting dark soon then." he noted as he slid his staff down.

"Means it'll get colder by then." Nathalie grumbled as she rubbed her arms furiously, not having the special advantage of having a Miraculous to only feel slightly cold. Constantine eyed her with frustrated concern as he began to slide his coat of.f

"If you're that cold you've only got to ask, luv." he said bitterly as he walked towards her, only for Nathalie to hold a protesting hand out at him.

"No thanks, I can cope. Would rather be cold than stink of smoke." she said bluntly, causing a look of hurt to stretch across his face.

"Wow, how ungrateful." he muttered as Kyle walked past him and went towards Ladybug and Chat Noir, both of whom looked to him in slight concern.

"Can you sense anything, Kyle?" Ladybug asked, her voice slightly on edge as she knew they could be facing some sort of problem now that they were here.

Kyle frowned as he looked around, his eyes scanning as he focussed hard on reaching out with his senses. He shook his head.

"It's hard to say. It was so powerful when I neared Earth but now it's like it's become cloaked. It's still here, but not as powerful as I first picked up." he noted as he raised his hand that had his ring on it.

A beam of the white colour stretched out over the land, causing everyone to watch on in fascination as he focused even more. Soon, the beam died down and he looked to his ring with pleasure on his face.

"Still struggling to pick anything up other than small pieces of fear, but there is a temple nearby. We can stay there for the night and figure things out." he noted to them as he looked to them. Ladybug looked thoughtful at this, pressing a finger to her chin.

"Hmm...we could ask around at the temple, see if there's anything they might've noticed lately." she said, a hopeful look coming over Chat Noir's face at this.

"And hopefully they might know something about my mother. They might've seen her passing through here before she disappeared." he pointed out, his voice growing with his look.

"Well if we are to go to this temple I suggest you all switch back to normal. Can't imagine the monks seeing a load of odd looking lot like you three will leave them feeling good." Constantine added as he neared them, Nathalie nodding at this.

"He's right. That way they'll be more inclined to help if they see us as mere tourists who have come up the mountain. she stated to them, leaving the three to realise what this meant. Ladybug and Chat Noir looked to Kyle and smiled sheepishly.

"Guess this means we'll need to reintroduce ourselves when we power down. Still, it's best I do so, as I need to give Tikki some food to help boost her powers." Ladybug said softly, to which Kyle opened his arms in understanding.

"All for getting to know the real people behind the masks." he replied, stepping back to give them some space.

With a call of "Tikki spots off!" And "Plagg, claws in!", and a flash of red and green, gone were the tight bodysuits and standing there in their normal clothes was Marinette and Adrien, with Tikki and Plagg floating out of their Miraculouses beside their owners. Kyle smiled as he took in their looks, seeing just how normal the couple looked. Marinette put a hand to her chest as she politely introduced herself.

"My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Kyle. As you can see, a normal kind of girl." she said softly before Adrien went next.

"And I'm Adrien Agreste, former rich boy, now normal boy." he said modestly, getting a grin off him.

"Nice to properly meet you both, Marinette and Adrien. And who are these cute guys?" he asked as Tikki and Plagg floated to him, his body glowing brighter as the former neared him.

"We are Kwamis. I am Tikki, the Kwami of Life" she said to him in her usual squeaky lovable voice. Kyle beamed at her, finding her whole cuteness something to be in awe at. That and something clicked in his head.

"Heh, Kwami of Life? That explains a bit." he said as he felt his body glow brighter the closer she got.

"And I'm Plagg, Kwami of destruction and the eternal lover of cheese." Plagg introduced himself as he flew up to Kyle, who giggled as his nose sucked in the smell of his breath.

"Yup, you love cheese alright." he said lightly as he and Tikki retreated back to Adrien and Marinette, the latter of whom began to feed Tikki.

"Go on, Rayner, mate, your turn now." Constantine said, looking eager to get the reintroduction out of the way. Kyle nodded at him.

"Yeah. No need to reintroduce myself but normality matters here." he said as he removed his ring from his finger, the glow of his powered self slowly dimming down as his suit faded from his body, revealing his true look.

His mask gone from his face, he revealed his brown like eyes, which held a look of utter friendliness in them as he faced the group. He wore a short sleeved green jacket with white goggles around the neck area, a white t-shirt that was tucked into greenish grey trousers and cream running trainers. He showed his age more here, clearly in his late twenties, but he still held that youthful energy most his age had. Adrien gave him a grin.

"Nice look there. Wouldn't mind getting a jacket like that" he said kindly, which Kyle chuckled at.

"Heh, pretty sure there's still plenty like this in the shops." he replied, glad to have made everyone feel more comfortable.

"Glad you reintroduced yourselves, now how about we find that temple. Care to lead the way, Mister Rayner?" Nathalie asked, clearly getting annoyed by the cold. He gave her a quick nod.

"Sure thing. It's all clear in my head where my ring showed it was. Follow me." he said, leading the group over towards the farther point of the area, where they would find a path to begin their climb down.

Conversation was still rolling off their tongues, for Adrien looked to Plagg as they climbed down, interest in his eyes.

"So Plagg, anything familiar about this place to you?" he asked as they continued to walk on. Plagg shook his head.

"Hard to say, haven't been here for two centuries, I was still in the box when Master Fu lost his temper over getting hungry. I was stuck in there for fifty years by that point." the little cat like Kwami said bluntly, so as to cut to the point. Adrien huffed at this.

"Great, thought it would've narrowed things down a bit. What about you, Nathalie? Did you and mom come here when you found those Miraculouses?" he asked as Constantine helped Nathalie find her footing. She shook her head.

"No, not this far up. A little further down to be honest with you. Hopefully when we reach the temple I'll get a better idea of where to go." the blue haired woman responded, giving Adrien a little boost in confidence.

Kyle was talking with Marinette as they continued on down.

"So, since I won't be coming back to Earth very much after this, mind I ask what you and Adrien get up to in your spare time? There's more to life behind the mask, that always interests me about other people I get to meet." he requested kindly as he led the way down. Marinette smiled as she glanced back at Adrien, her eyes full of love as she talked of him.

"Well, we're like a ordinary boyfriend and girlfriend. He takes me out to some really nice places, we play sometimes on the console, we help each other in our studies, but most of all, we talk. Just talk about how we feel, what is on our minds and what we can best do for ourselves in the future." she said softly, getting a fond smile from the Lantern hero.

"Nice. And what kinda future would you want, Marinette?" He asked as they neared the end of the path.

She clearly had her mind made up already when she responded.

"Keep on protecting Paris, marry Adrien, have plenty of kids. I'd like to start my own fashion business as well, put my art to good use." she said softly. Tikki then bumped her on the arm.

"And keep running your parents' bakery, because I like having free cookies as long as I'm with you." she said brightly at the blue haired girl, who giggled.

"Heh, you will!" she said as Kyle took this on, his smile slightly sad at this.

"Wow, an artist? And you wanna put it in for fashion? Gotta say, I had an idea like that once, before joining the Lanterns." he said modestly so as to hide how he felt inside.

They nearly reached the bottom, not far from where they needed to get to. If only they knew what was in that temple...

* * *

Everything felt so tight yet wet at the same time as Kagami found her feelings and senses come over her. Her eyes shifted under her eyelids, groaning as sleep had left her. Yet when her sleep faded, everything kicked in for the Japanese girl over what had just occurred. Hot and fast breath came from her mouth as she remembered the Ziszhui and the horrible eyes that froze her in utter fear.

She tried to shoot up as a sense of adrenaline came over her but found herself unable to do so, for the wet and thick feeling strengthened over her body. Her eyes wide, she held her breath as she took in the sight around her. Everything was dark, save for the dimly lit red light from above that shone light onto the red webs around her that spread on the walls. The same web that had her wrapped from neck to toe up against the wall, tightly covering her and showing off her figure. Kagami cried out in fear as she could only guess what exactly this meant they had in store for her. The very thought of her insides being turned to jelly and sucked from her body left her in a fit of fear, trying to struggle free from this sickening grip.

"I'm in some kind of nightmare! This can't be real! None of it!" Kagami grunted, squirming in her binds.

She could deny it all she wanted, but the Asian girl knew that it was pointless to do so. It was all real and she really was in a terrifying situation. She was the fly trapped in the spider's web and all she could do was wait for the spider itself to come and eat her. Kagami stopped squirming as she suddenly felt the web vibrate a little around her. Her skin crawled in disgust. The spider was coming for her! She turned to see four glowing eyes peering from the darkness and coming towards her. Kagami soon realized that she recognized the spider. It was the same arachnid-woman that had captured her earlier. Her appearance was simultaneously fascinating and revolting, being some foul hybrid of a beautiful human woman and a spider with the human upper-body half and the spider legs. Being webbed up like this made the spider-woman seem even more disgusting than she already looked, as well as more terrifying as Kagami knew that she could be dinner any minute now for this strange creature. Kagami squirmed some more, her heart pounding so fast she barely registered the individual beats. The spider-woman seemed more amused by her attempt to get away than anything, smirking as she came closer.

"Whatever you want with me, I'm warning you! If you eat me, my friends will storm your lair and skewer you alive!" Kagami shrieked frantically.

But the spider-woman had no interest in eating her. She instead positioned herself in front of her prison and placed a clawed finger over her lips. Kagami shuddered. Just having this woman touch her was enough to make her feel like throwing up.

"Hush dear child, you don't need to panic. You're in good hands here." the creature purred, "Abyss will take good care of you."

Kagami frowned, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"So you think webbing me to the wall equals "taking care of me"?" she spat, "If this is your idea of being in good hands, I dread to think what living with you must be like!"

"Oh don't try to insult me darling, you're only going to dig yourself a deeper grave if you do." Abyss sneered, her tone condescending as if she was telling off a naughty child, "You already got yourself in trouble by trespassing here in the first place. You should be grateful I have no intentions on killing you for that."

"Lucky for you as the organization that employed me would have your head if you did!" Kagami snarled.

"Oh you mean the same people that fitted you with that inbuilt tracker I removed from you while you was unconscious?" Abyss said smoothly, "Sorry dear, nobody will be coming for you. Nobody knows you're here and nobody will find you. I can only suggest you make yourself...comfortable."

The arachnid woman then lightly brushed a hand against Kagami's cheek, making her shudder even more. Her stomach churned so much that she was impressed she hadn't been sick yet. Abyss let out a low hiss of delight, clearly intrigued by her latest catch.

"Such a pretty face and a strong body...makes me glad you stumbled into my lair after all." she purred, "But that's not the best part about you..."

"If you don't get your filthy hands off me, I'll stick a katana up your ass!" Kagami warned, cringing as Abyss continued to run her fingers down her face.

Abyss ignored her and continued to monologue.

"...yes, the fear I can sense in you dear girl. I can taste it on you. I get that a lot..." the spider-creature said darkly, "I always bring out the fear in people just be being in their presence. Oh...but that's not all I can sense in you. Yes...there's something else too...it feels like...sadness. But what kind of sadness...?"

Kagami stiffened her lips and put on a straight face, trying to hide anymore emotions that her looks could give away, eyeing the Arachnid woman with a lot of hatred.

"There's nothing for me to be sad about..." she said in a cold tone, but found herself freezing again as Abyss gently rested a finger on her nose.

"Now now, no need to speak, I can easily tell what this is...a sense of loss, a sense of wasted chances, of wasted opportunities...for someone? My, my, you must be in such a sad state in being here. Losing out on time with someone is always sad, but even more so when you don't get any answers about that someone..." Abyss said in observation, causing Kagami to halt her breathing as she looked at the woman with wide eyed horror. Was she reading her mind? If so, what was she seeing? Was she seeing the petite blue haired girl from Paris?

Abyss smiled and chuckled in adoration at Kagami's wide eyed look, finding it rather cute to her to come from such a emotionless girl.

"Heh, don't you worry, my dear, I'm fairly certain I can make arrangements for a reunion between you both when the world is under my grip. The person in question can easily walk right in here when they're under my control." she said in a reassuring tone, as if calming her own child from getting upset any further.

Kagami gritted her teeth as she could only imagine what kind of a world the Earth would be under Abyss' control. The thought of empty shrivelled corpses of humans laying all over the place and others fearfully obeying her only made her cringe in horror as she tried to wrestle free again. Abyss giggled again as she pulled herself back from Kagami, one arm reaching down to her side behind a rock of sorts. Lifting her arm, Kagami felt her eyes lock onto the very sword she once had, now in her hands. Abyss eyed it in admiration before looking back at Kagami.

"I have to say, it's very rare I see weapons like this made from magicium. Whoever had this crafted clearly put a lot of finesse into it. It wasn't you who had this crafted though, it was made centuries ago...I can only wonder if there are many more out there in the world for me to use." she said pleasantly, thinking of the many things she could do with such a weapon. Still, she had this one for now, and she wouldn't mind putting it to good use soon.

It was then another scurry of spindly legs was heard from above, making Kagami shiver as she couldn't stand the sight of more of those horrible things. The Ziszhui hung upside down from behind Abyss, who gave him a smile as she turned to him.

"Anything to report, my dear?" she asked humbly, interest clear in her voice. He gave her a nod.

"Yesss, my fine lady...a group of five are coming to the temple...they have two Kwamissss with them..." he informed her in his low voice. Abyss's eyes raised in interest at this, though her smile didn't fade from her face, looking rather pleased.

"Do they now? I can only guess who they are then. Invite them in, treat them well until the moon fully rises. They'll need to be fully relaxed when we bring them down here." Abyss stated in pleasure, her eyes full of excitement as she realised how much things were gonna go her way now.

Kagami had listened in on this and her eyes narrowed at Abyss.

"Who's coming?" she asked loudly. Abyss gave her a smile as she turned to her, raising a hand towards her face. Kagami tried to pull back but found herself unable to do so as Abyss put her hand over her mouth.

"You'll find out soon enough, my dear. For now, you may rest." she said softly as her hand began to get wet. Kagami wished she was stronger than this, for the web that spread over her mouth sent her off into another long sleep, her eyes slowly closing as tiredness came over her figure, her senses off.

Abyss giggled as she pulled her hand away, looking back to her Ziszhui.

"Go on, welcome them. I need some time alone to have a conversation with our friend in Paris." she stated to the creature, who nodded as he scurried off back to wherever it was that got them out of the darkness.

Abyss smiled, closing her eyes as a slight red glow came over her body, beginning her conversation with a certain someone in Paris...

* * *

And that someone was getting the best view of Paris that anyone could get. It was always said that if one wanted the best view of the City of Love, you went up the Eiffel Tower. The iconic landmark was so tall that going to the top could give you a view for miles around with many of Paris's other landmarks that could be seen from the tower from the Notre Dame cathedral to the Lourve Museum. The trenchcoated man standing atop the Eiffel Tower wasn't up there for sight-seeing. He had other plans in mind.

The man himself was dressed in a long leather trench coat, the only clothing he wore on his upper body. His bare torso, tattooed with the Union Jack like some twisted parody of a patriotic British man, was left uncovered by the open coat and despite this, the man didn't seem bothered by the cold from where he was. For a man like him, the weather was never an issue. He was no ordinary man after all. He was known to the superhero community as the psychic terror that often got into battles with Superman, be it physical or psychological as they had very conflicting beliefs. His name was Manchester Black.

Manchester Black stood as still as a gargoyle, peering down from the Eiffel Tower's immense height at the very place he'd planted his seed some time after the Miraculers and Young Justice had stopped the Light from taking over Paris. As usual, he had a cigarette clenched between his teeth. He smoked so often that the cigarettes were almost like another part of his body to him. The psychic metahuman could see that the seed had settled in well since he'd planted it and it was now ready for his big plan with his co-conspirator. Manchester grinned darkly as his eyes glowed a dark shade of purple that made his hideous face even more unnerving to look at. His telepathic mind picked up that somebody wanted to talk to him so he answered back, the conversation taking place in both his head and Abyss's.

"Hello luv. Looking as dashing as ever I can see." Black said sarcastically, "How's the little girl you webbed up? Have you got her bawling like a baby yet?"

"No, but I imagine I'll have her begging to be put out of her misery when I feast on her fear and sadness." Abyss replied, "How is the seed Manchester?"

"As ready as a freshly-baked apple pie, duck." Manchester replied, puffing on his cigarette, "We can begin the next stage of our plan, and now there's less of them miracle kids or whatever those ponces call themselves, this city should be ripe for the picking."

"Excellent news Manchester!" Abyss hissed with delight, "I can practically taste the fear of these Paris people now! Activate the seed and spread my powers all over Paris! Our time is NOW!"

"Your wish is my command luv." Manchester replied, smiling sadistically as he was going to enjoy what happened next.

The skinny bloke opened his eyes once he finished his little conversation with Abyss. His eyes were glowing a soft purple as he looked down to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. The colour of his eyes stretched down to his hands, glowing brightly as he spread them over the gap that stretched down to the bottom. His smile was sadistic as his colours grew brighter, while a flash of red shone slightly from the bottom. Of course, this was only little in comparison to what he did next.

What came next sounded like a pop, like a balloon was hit with a needle and it it burst. But instead of nothing coming out of this balloon, there was plenty to be released. A burst of liquid began to flood the ground from where the seed was, the same liquid as what the Ziszhui had used on Master Fu's home. Just like that kind of ooze material, it stretched well to where it needed to go.

People who would be walking around the tower were in for a different sight to see as they gasped in shock upon seeing the ooze halt its movement when it reached the four legs of the Eiffel Tower. They all staggered back as they watched the darkness begin to climb up the tower's golden structure, turning it from its bright colour to that of darkness that spread from the seed. It was a frightening sight to see that everyone began to run from it, not wanting to stick around to see what was going to come next.

Manchester Black hummed lightly to himself as he saw the last piece of gold on the tower turn into nothing but black, the life itself gone from the tower. He listened to the cries of fear and the number of people running made him tut.

"Typical, when the new boss comes in, everyone runs, not wanting the change that is coming. Still, they'll understand once they've had their blindness removed." he said to himself as he closed his eyes again, concentrating on what he needed the seed's powers to do now.

Of course, this caught the attention of a certain group of people. It wasn't long until this sight drew out Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen B and Bunnyx, landing on a rooftop opposite the Eiffel Tower to observe what was going on. Queen B gritted her teeth as she looked over the tower.

"Should've known some creep would try to attempt something while Ladybug and Chat Noir left!" she said in frustration, getting a tut from Bunnyx.

"Not helping this seems to be part of the Ziszhui's plan, the ooze looks like the same one that we had to fight earlier. More spiders to crush by the looks of it." she pointed out.

Rena Rouge shook her head though as she saw Manchester Black on top of the tower.

"I don't know, Buns, this seems different. Especially with him up there." she said, pointing to him to guide everyone's attention. Carapace frowned upon seeing him.

"Dude looks straight outta the nineties, he needs a update on fashion!" he said in disgust, not liking how he had the Union Jack tattooed on his bare chest.

"Well, I'm not standing back, ready to jump through a portal?" Bunnyx said, stepping back to begin drawing a portal open, ready to go up there and kick Manchester Black's ass. Just before everyone could get behind her, though, they were thrown off their feet when a loud rumbling occurred that made their legs go shaky for a moment and their heads to throb as they lost their sense of balance, all of them falling to their knees as the rumbling gotten louder.

"Wwwwwhaaaaatssss happppppppenig!?" Carapace said shakily, trying to get a good look at what was going on around them but found his body pulled back down onto the ground.

If only he was watching this on the news, he would've gotten a better picture of what was going on. But many were watching the news just to see it.

Nadjia Chammack was on hand as usual to cover the story, already in a helicopter that was keeping itself a good distance from the tower but her camera was able to zoom in on it to get a good enough look at what was going on. She didn't sound so eager this time, and no one could blame her. Espescially when she got a good look at Manchester Black.

"It seems the villains just don't give us a break! Supervillain, Manchester Black, is on top of the tower and has infected it with some strange sort of power! I-I don't get this! How is he here!?" she asked no one as the man's eyes glowed brightly on the camera, sending one heck of a fright to everyone watching.

She watched on with held breath as the rumbling resulted in the ground being ripped up from below, coming from four sides that reached back to the Eiffel Tower's four legs. Rising from the torn up ground were long, thick, giant sized tentacles of the same colour. They towered right over the bright home of the Parisians, ready to do much damage to the beautiful place. Everyone watching this around the world were scared and left frightened by what they were seeing. Save for one.

He was far away on the other side of the planet, standing in a crowded working office that he often worked at. Seeing Manchester on the TV was enough to send a rush of concern through him, but it was even more when he saw he was in Paris. His blue eyes behind his glasses held that of sympathy for those who lived there. They suffered enough with the constant threats and they didn't need Manchester bothering them now. His feet began to carry him towards the back of the office, heading towards the back door that would get him to begin his travel. He couldn't let them fight him by themselves. He was needed there and he had to get there now.

"I should've expected that Manchester would stoop so low as to attack a city like Paris..." the spectacled man muttered.

Once he'd gotten out of sight, he removed his glasses, which he didn't actually need to use, and tore open the shirt he wore to reveal a familiar logo underneath. This logo would inspire hope for the Parisians, just as it did for his beloved city...

* * *

Back in Tibet, Marinette, Adrien, Kyle and Constantine had reached the temple they were heading towards. Upon seeing it, the team could feel a growing sense of unease as if the temple itself had a dark presence that they had to look out for. Its huge fortress like appearance with rectangular front, oval-shaped door and connecting walls made it look more like a place that was built to keep intruders out rather than invite people in to pray and appease their gods. Kyle even thought this temple wouldn't look out of place as part of a medieval castle with how it looked. Marinette shivered.

"If this wasn't the only place to stay for the time being, I'd happily pick somewhere else." the French girl said grimly, "This temple feels...I dunno, imposing?"

"I getcha Mari." Adrien agreed, "When I think temples, I don't think of something like this. I'm half expecting an army of knights to come out of that thing!"

"As long as it isn't Darkblade and his army, we'll be fine." Marinette chuckled, thinking back to the time their fencing teacher had been akumatized into a knight-like akuma villain.

"Yeah it's fine enough kidding about kiddies but if this place looks as intimidating as it does, I imagine it's no laughing matter." Constantine said dryly, "I wouldn't be surprised if the monks there are more than your typical monks and have immense powers at their disposal. Believe me, I've met plenty of monks like that in my time."

Adrien looked to Nathalie as he heard what Constantine said, hoping she'd provide at least some answer to this.

"Did you and mom see this when you came here?" he asked somewhat nervously.

Nathalie already looked it over to feel some sort of unease growing in her and she displayed it with a shake of her head.

"No. There wasn't even a mention of the place when we first came to Tibet. Still, I'd rather go in there than keep climbing down all night." she said bitterly, seeing this as their only option.

Kyle squinted his eyes as he swore he saw a figure move from one of the windows, so he straightened himself up.

"Hold on, I think someone's coming. Hide your Kwamis and be ready." he warned Marinette and Adrien, who opened their pockets to let Tikki and Plagg hide inside of. Kyle kept one hand in his pocket with his fingers holding his ring, ready to slide it on in case someone were to come out through the door and start attacking them.

They all watched as the large door moaned loudly as it began to open, a slight glow emitting from behind the door that grew brighter as it fully opened, giving them a peak inside. They could see many hooded people walking about from within, going about their business, but there was one who braved the dying sunlight. Clothed in red robes, he slowly walked out towards them, his face obscured by the darkness his hood casted. Constantine was already thinking of throwing his lighter at him to see if he was human or not, for this was typical of anyone pretending to be a monk and it didn't sit well with him as he chosen to remove his hood slowly.

They watched as the man unhooded himself in front of the visitors, revealing that of an Asian man with a bald head and short trimmed hair at the sides. He gave them all a smile, though it seemed forced, espescially with how much it was looking to break his face. He gave them a slight bow as he spoke.

"Greetings. I take it your lost and looking for a night to stay before getting back to the nearest city?" he asked politely, though it sounded as if he was trying to be VERY nice with his tone.

Nathalie decided to respond, seeing herself as the adult of the group and offer the most sensible of responses.

"Yes. We lost our map and we spent a bit of time trying to circle back but we've been struggling." she explained to him.

The monk eagerly nodded as he stretched his hand to point to the temple, smiling.

"You found this just in time then. You should get in quick, for we are expecting a snowstorm for the night. You might have to wait until the storm has settled before you can get to the city." he said humbly. Before they could ask him anything else, he was already turning around and making his way back towards the temple.

Everyone shared a look with each other before a bitter sigh escaped Adrien's lips.

"We really don't have a choice. Just be on your guard everyone." he said, beginning to make his way after the monk, with Marinette following closely. Constantine went after them but kept himself close to Nathalie and Kyle, leaning in to whisper into their ears.

"Okay, while we're in there, you two stick around with Marinette and Adrien, I'm going to look around this place. Anything goes wrong, I want you to bring this place down, Kyle, and get them out of there." he instructed the White Lantern, who couldn't help but agree with him. He'd make sure if anything did occur, he'd give it everything he's got.

With that, everyone continued their journey into the temple, ready to brace themselves for whatever was awaiting them inside.

* * *

If there was something the group left behind in Paris were feeling now, it was a sense of dread. Picking themselves up, the dizziness had worn itself off of them but part of them wished it remained for they could now see themselves what was looming in the sky from the Eiffel Tower, the large tentacles bearing down from above.

"I don't know what that guy's doing and why, but it's not looking good!" Carapace cried, "I'm half-expecting a giant octopus to come out of the Eiffel Tower with all them tentacles around it!"

"You want the honest truth Carapace? I'd rather take a giant octopus over this thing." Rena said grimly, "At least a giant octopus is something that can be both scary and silly at the same time. THIS is just scary!"

"And if we don't stop it, I have a feeling Paris is in for a nightmare that it'll never wake up from!" Bunnyx said with a huge amount of concern edging her voice. She drew her parasol weapon out and pointed it ahead, ready to draw a portal, "We have to get up there and knock that guy off the tower! If we stop him, this crazy shit happening around us should stop too!"

"I bet if you launched me through that portal and landed directly behind him, I could paralyze him with my Venom and render him completely immobile." Queen B suggested, "If he can't move, he can't control those tentacles and we can do whatever we want to him while he can't fight back."

"I dunno Queen B, something tells me this guy can fight with more than just his bare hands..." Rena said uneasily.

Despite being a good distance away from him, Rena's enhanced vision had allowed her to vaguely make the villainous telepath atop the tower out and see some of his movements. A Fox Miraculer could see for miles away, a fitting trait as actual foxes had terrific vision, even in the dark. She had noticed that Manchester Black was constantly waving his hands around and making puppeteer like gestures with them. He was clearly controlling the tentacles but it all seemed to be done by magic of some sorts. He made no physical contact with the tentacles at all.

"If I were to guess, he might have mind powers too, kinda like what Miss Martian could do." Rena estimated, "If we paralyzed him, he could probably still make those things move with just his head."

"OK, change of plan, we knock him out instead!" Bunnyx cried, "Who's willing to launch the finishing blow on him?"

The Miraculers had to put the plan on hold for now as one of the tentacles that was growing from underground suddenly broke its way up underneath the building they were standing on and the costumed teens screamed in terror as they found themselves plummeting straight down to certain death as the building crumbled beneath their feet like a falling sandcastle. While to them it seemed like a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, it had actually been a deliberate act on Manchester's part. The British supervillain had been aware that they were nearby due to his telepathic mind always being on the alert for them. Naturally, he'd heard everything they said and was now going to make sure they couldn't get close to him.

"Stupid French twats should've known better than to stand around gobbin' away when there's a telepath around." he sneered, "Now let's see if they live up to the long-standing belief of the French being a bunch of pussies..."

He listened out to see if he could still pick up their thoughts. If he couldn't, it meant the Miraculers were dead. He could hear them mentally sighing with relief. Annoyed, Manchester commanded the same tentacle that had tried to bring them down to find them again. While he'd been gloating to himself, Bunnyx had managed to save everyone in the nick of time with a quick portal. They were safely on the ground and away from where they'd been standing earlier. But just as they were about to relax, Rena saw the huge tentacle rise up high and aim for them, preparing to slam down and crush them into the pavement like bugs.

"INCOMING!" the vulpine heroine screamed.

They gathered around Bunnyx as she was ready to swiftly draw up a portal to help them escape again, seeing the shadow growing larger over them as the tentacle neared. They felt their hearts rise into their throats as they were got right behind Bunnyx, who was about to draw the portal open...

But they then felt a change in the atmosphere as they felt a rush run through the air that sent their hair breezing back a bit, like the wind picked up. And when this rush died down...nothing came. No hard hit from the giant tentacle or getting whacked away by it. This left them confused and this made them open their eyes. What they saw was a sight they would have planted in their memories forever.

Standing there, holding the tentacle up in the air with ease with both hands high above his head was a tall, muscular and handsome man who was clad in a blue bodysuit that showed off his great physical look. Golden wrist cuffs sat at the end of his sleeves, while red boots and golden tips sat from his shins to his toes. His cape stretched from his shoulders to his feet, looking utterly bright even against the darkness sitting above him. Right in the middle of his chest was a familiar logo of a red S with a yellow background. The Miraculous teens could only watch on in awe as the man looked up at the monstrous tentacle he held above his head, which began to let off a slight glow of red as his eyes heated up. They didn't even gasp as a pair of red beams fired up from his eyes and sliced right through the point he was holding the tentacle at, cutting right through until it was disconnected from its main body. The lone form of the tentacle turned into dust as its main body pulled back in pain from what the man just put it through.

A dark shadow long gone from over their heads, the teens were greeted properly by the man as the sun shone right down on him, his smile sending a warm rush right through them all as he reached his hand out to them, nothing but good on his mind as he fully saw them.

"There's no need to be afraid. I'm here to help you. All of you" greeted Superman, nothing but kindness in his voice as he looked down at the teens, who continued to stare at him in awe at his very appearance. He was here. And there meant there was one thing they all had now. Hope.

* * *

_**Just when you thought this story couldn't get any bigger. Superman is getting in on the action too! :D**_

_**But just because he's here, doesn't mean this madness is over by any means. Can Superman stop Manchester Black's scheme in Paris? What will happen when Kyle and the others face Abyss? Will Kagami be saved? Will Abyss succeed in her schemes? **_

_**Join us next time as the plot thickens...**_


	5. Chapter 4: Hope Against The Dark

_Chapter 4: Hope Against The Dark_

The teens could only watch on in slight awe as they just processed who they were seeing and hearing in front of them. Even as he leaned down to take the slightly shaking hands of Rena Rouge and Carapace to lift them up, and did so again with Queen B and Bunnyx, who all looked up to him as he looked down at them, his smile as supportive as ever as he spoke again.

"I take it you're the new heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir recruited to fight the Light. I don't know why he's here, but I'll do my best to help you stop that madman up there from terrorising you're city." he said softly as his eyes turned to the Eiffel Tower, his smile going away as he locked onto the British supervillain, that alone being enough to show that he was taking this threat seriously.

Manchester Black was feeling likewise as he saw what Superman had done, how he easily destroyed that tentacle he used to try and crush the Miraculous heroes sent him in a lost state of shock. He was in so much shock that the other tentacles froze in the air. There he was, the big hero himself, ready to stop his actions yet again. This caused his chest to tighten up as he locked on Superman, his eyes narrowing in great anger as he saw the heroic man was here. Purple light emitting from his eyes, he regained his focus on the tentacles, all of which began to move again, with the one Superman shot up starting to regrow its top, which caught the heroes' attention.

Rena Rouge took this in as the tentacles began to come towards them, so she turned to Superman with a bit of nervousness.

"Uh, Superman? You got a plan or something?" She asked, uncertain of how to approach him or this situation.

Superman easily took in the incoming attack and his instincts kicked in, not wanting to see these kids get crushed by the monstrous tentacles. He began to float off the ground, clenching his fists as he took off. He noticed the tentacles begin to pick up towards him and it came to mind on what to do. He glanced to Rena Rouge with seriousness in his eyes.

"Get everyone in this area out! I'll keep these things distracted!" he called as he then took to the air, a rush of the wind blowing against the heroes as he flew fast into the air. They watched on as the tentacles turned up after Superman, the giant thick surface of them rising in height as they went after the red caped hero.

Rena Rouge stood there in awe as she saw Superman pause in his flight, where his eyes began to glow red when the tentacles started to surround him. He waited until they were close enough and that's when he let off a huge burst of heat vision from his eyes, the red beams looking like the very red skies of the setting sun as they tore right through the bodies of the tentacles, cutting right through them to turn them to ash. They disappeared in a puff of dark smoke, but Superman wasn't done yet. He grabbed hold of one of the tentacles and, with all of his strength, pulled it down and around the other three huge monstrous forms. He repeated this action twice until he flew further down before going into the small entrance that he could squeeze into, planting the tentacle he was holding right into the knot he made. Superman then tore right through the top of the darkness and then flew right under the knot, where his eyes heated up again, firing off with all his might and cutting right through the tentacles, cutting its size right down as the knot was blasted from the rest of it, turning it into nothingness as it came loose.

The Miraculous teens just watched on with wide eyes as they saw how Superman handled the tentacles.

"Now that's quick thinking! That dude is awesome!" Carapace yelled proudly, giving Superman a thumbs up. Bunnyx, however, jumped in front of the rest of her friends and gave them a wave.

"Uh, hello? Yeah, remember what Superman told us to do?" she gave everyone a reminder, snapping them out of their gaze. Rena Rouge nearly gave herself a smack.

"Of course, yes, I shouldn't have forgot! Right, Bunnyx, open up a portal, we'll gather around else around here up!" she said, getting her flute ready.

Bunnyx grinned before she stood to the far empty space to the other side of the road, where she outstretched her hand and began to open up a portal while her friends went off to collect the civilians still stuck in the Eiffel Tower's area.

Meanwhile, Superman was continuing to fight off the tentacles that Manchester Black continuously summoned over and over, the psychic man refusing to give the Kryptonian even a moment to consider that he might have defeated him again. Manchester threw his arm up and one of the tentacles copied his movement, stretching high up into the sky and aiming for a powerful slam down onto Superman. The Kryptonian saw this coming and reacted quickly, inhaling deeply and letting out a big breath ice cold of air at the tentacle. Upon contact, the tentacle froze instantly and was stopped dead in its tracks, nothing more than a giant ice-sculpture. Manchester tried to get the tentacle to move again but it was frozen solid. It was encased in a layer of ice far too thick for it to move. In order to free it, Manchester ordered another tentacle and slam on the frozen one to break the ice. Unfortunately for him, Superman froze that one too. Fuming, the Englishman glared at Superman with his purple eyes.

"Don't get too cocky with yourself Super-twat!" he yelled, "You may think that you can save the day again as usual with your fancy powers and oh-so-mighty super strength but you ain't seen NOTHING yet! With the powers bestowed to me by my partner, not even YOU will be a match for Manchester Black!"

"Can't say I'm surprised you have a partner." Superman said grimly, "You never were brave enough to fight alone. Is it the Elite again or do you have a new buddy to play with?"

"You're Superman, why don't you use that super-brain of yours and figure it out?" Black sneered, "I ain't telling you diddly squat! All I can say is that the seed has been planted and what you're seeing is just the beginning!"

"And I'd rather NOT see it to the end." Superman sighed, stretching his arms forward and flying towards Black as quickly as possible.

Manchester just smirked and held up a hand, forming a psychic barrier in front of himself to stop Superman from attacking him. Superman slammed straight into the forcefield. Despite protecting himself, Black found himself staggering back and fighting to keep standing. A punch from Superman was enough to make even a protected man feel like an earthquake was happening. He could stall Superman for maybe a minute or so but soon his powers would give out and the Metropolis hero would have him. Luckily, he knew what Superman's biggest weakness was aside from Kryptonite: endangerment of civilians. His compassion was always his downfall and he'd exploit it before Superman could grab him.

He noticed a nearby helicopter and decided that would do. Said helicopter belonged to Nadjia Chamack as she was reporting on what was happening in Paris. The Frenchwoman noticed Superman trying to get to Manchester, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"And what breaking news we have now Parisians!" she exclaimed, "It seems we have none other than the legendary Superman on hand to stop this new terror that's threatening the safety of our city and people! I never thought I'd see the day where Superman himself would come to Paris but here we are, it is really happening before your eyes ladies and gentlemen! Our heroes will have everything under control now Superman is here!"

Black raised a hand and a black tentacle shot up towards the helicopter. Superman spotted it in the corner of his eye and gasped in horror. The helicopter didn't react quickly enough, only feebly banking to the left as the tentacle slammed into the side of it, ripping the entire right side off and damaging the propellers. The stricken vehicle began to spin wildly out of control, whirring loudly and twisting towards the ground. Nadjia and the pilot clung on for dear life, feeling like they were trapped on some hideous fairground ride. The ground was catching up to them fast, they couldn't get the helicopter under control!

"NO!" Superman yelled, turning away from Manchester to fly after the falling chopper.

The red and blue superhero was able to catch the helicopter in the nick of time, flying under the falling vehicle and catching it before it could crash into a nearby building. Nadjia and the pilot cried out as they felt the helicopter jerk suddenly and breathed a sigh of relief once they realized what was happening. Superman used all of his incredible strength to lower the helicopter down to the ground and he settled it on the pavement by a jewellery shop that had been abandoned once the owner had decided to flee for her life. Now the danger was over, Superman peered inside the wrecked machine to check on Nadjia and the pilot. The pilot was shaken and Nadjia was just about getting her breathing under control. The fuschia-haired woman looked up at Superman, a mixture of gratitude and delight in her eyes. Superman could swear he saw her blushing at the sight of him.

"Are you alright?" the Kryptonian asked concernedly.

"I...I...I thought we...were done for!" Nadjia gasped, still breathless from the save, "Th-thank you so much...Superman!"

"Just doing what I do to save all lives everywhere." Superman said modestly, "Now please, you two must get out of here right away. It's not safe anymore."

"I'm not about to be the woman who argues with Superman!" Nadjia said agreeably, "Though I must ask if it's possible to interview you later..." she added slyly, eyeing the S logo that covered his strong, muscular chest. She had to wonder how lucky Lois Lane felt to have close ties to this man, and even if they were in a relationship.

"We'll see about that." Superman said, "Now go, I can't fight off Manchester Black and worry about you at the same..."

He was then cut off as one of the tentacles suddenly lashed out and wrapped around him, yanking him away from the horrified Nadjia and lifting him up high to Manchester Black's height. The tentacle squeezed, constricting Superman tightly as Black clenched his fist. The telekinetic metahuman cackled with delight, glad he had been able to once again exploit Superman's compassion for others to get the drop on him.

"You really do spend too much time worrying about those tossers, don't you?" Black jeered, "When are you ever going to learn that some people aren't worth it and you should worry about me and not them?"

"Ungh...compassion is not a weakness Black, it is and always has been my greatest strength! But you'd never understand, and that's why YOU never win!" Superman grunted, pushing back against the tentacle to free himself from its grasp.

With a great push, Superman shoved the tentacle back and fired another shot of heat vision right through the thick body of the monstrous creature, clearing a way for him to get free. He rocketed right out of the grip and flew right down towards the wound he made, spotting its weak point in its exposure. Manchester reached his hand out and squeezed his fingers into a fist, causing a glow of purple energy to begin covering the wound, hoping to knock Superman back. But the heroic man was too fast for such a thing, for he shot his fist forward and ploughed it right into the weak point of the exposed injury. Like a bullet piercing through flesh, Superman tore right through the walls of watery flesh and took the top piece of the tentacle off, turning it into nothing but a puff of smoke.

While Superman was busy distracting the tentacles, Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen B had gathered up all the people in the area, leading them right towards Bunnyx's portal.

"We're sending you all to the farther side of Paris! We're sealing this place off for the time being!" Rena informed them as the last one went through, a sense of relief coming over her chest as the last of the civilians got through, something shared by her friends as Bunnyx closed the portal.

"Yeah, thankfully there wasn't many people here when those things appeared. Still, how far should we hold this containment?" Queen B asked as she looked to Superman, who was luring the tentacles high in the air. Rena Rouge gave her answer straight away, her eyes locked onto the Eiffel Tower.

"Easy enough. Ready to put that Shell-Ter to good use, hun?" she asked Carapace, who nodded as he pulled his shield from his back.

"You got it, babe! SHELL-TER!" he cried loudly as he slammed his shield down in the direction of the Eiffel Tower.

His Miraculous worked its magic, a flash of its colour sparking from the shield as the construct of the shell began to spread right over the Eiffel Tower. The closer it got, the more it was put to good use as the shield ended up slicing right through the tentacles that were surrounding the tower, turning them to dust as they were sliced down.

Superman noticed the tentacles' disappearance when he saw they were no longer chasing after him. Looking down, he saw the shield had now covered the Eiffel Tower, the shell holding it within its glow and separating it from the rest of the world. The man in the air felt a sense of pleasure to see the threat to the civilians had been stopped and this meant they now had Manchester cornered. He gave an impressed smile to Carapace down on the street below, seeing him standing up from the work he just did. The young man used his power well.

Floating down back to the trapped tower, Superman steadied himself in the air right opposite Manchester Black, the magical shield of Carapace's keeping them apart. Manchester looked very annoyed at having been trapped, looking around himself to see indeed there was no way out. He looked down at the Parisian teens, his eyes full of anger as Carapace gave him a mock gesture that was a bit rude for him to rub off.

"Bloody teenagers, I'll give you a good hiding when I get out of this!" he yelled down at them, wanting to rip them apart with his powers for halting his plans.

"You leave them alone, Manchester. You have no right to make threats to those defending their home. Now if I were you, I'd suggest you surrender your powers and come with me, you've done enough damage here." Superman said sternly, pulling Manchester's attention away from the teens. Manchester couldn't help roll his eyes at Superman's words, throwing his arms out at his sides as his eyes glowed again.

"Really, Supes? You think I'm gonna just let you smack some cuffs on my wrists and send me back to some big fucking prison? You think I'm gonna be falling in line with your outdated rubbish? Ain't happening, you big prick!" he snapped at the Kansas raised hero, who sighed in disappointment at him.

"Should've known. If that's how you want it, I'll make it quick for you, in and out." Superman said, not happy that he was gonna have to resort to more force to remove Manchester from the country. Of course, he floated back and braced his arms, ready to plough through the shield and pull Manchester out of the tower. But the Brit had other ideas. For his powers weren't just limited to tentacles.

His hands opened up and they turned from right to left. The severed tentacles around him ended up collapsing into a huge mass of liquid in this action. They began to fill the shield up like water in a bottle, but what was alarming was the red like light that occupied inside the liquid that began to glow. Rena Rouge gasped as she saw Superman fly right towards the shield, but instead of going right through to get the criminal villain, instead the shield flashed red and let out a burst of energy targeting Superman. It hit the blue clad hero hard, zapping him like lightning and pushing him back from the shield, leaving him crying out in pain as he felt his strength leave him for a second, but that second was enough for him to lose his place in the air, for his eyes went blank for a moment as he then began to drop from the sky, red sparks zapping all over his body.

"Oh crap! Bunnyx, quick!" Queen B yelled at the rabbit styled superhero, who reacted quickly, drawing a portal open in the sky just a few feet below Superman, its other side opening up just a foot above and away from them.

The stunned hero fell right through the portal and came out, landing right in front of them with a soft thump. It was still hard enough to get a groan out of him, seeing him clenching his teeth to push the pain away, but it didn't stop him from accepting help from the teens, with Rena looping one arm under him while Bunnyx took the other. They gave him a concerned look.

"Uh, y-you okay, Superman?" Rena asked worriedly, not liking how weak he now looked. He blinked away, trying to regain his site as he got back on his feet thanks to their help.

"It's stinging, but like a hot one. That's how magic affects me when used as a weapon." he said, easing himself to cope with the pain, though he gave them a smile.

"Thanks for the save though. If I fell any further then I would've been in a lot more pain" he said in a glad tone, getting a shy smile from Bunnyx.

"Glad to have softened your fall".

He returned her smile before they looked back up at the tower, seeing the liquid die down as Manchester looked down at them with his glowing eyes, his smirk big as he was pleased with his achievement. Superman groaned, not liking this.

"He's clearly in league with someone a lot more powerful. Punching our way in won't be so simple." he said in slight frustration. Carapace approached him with an assuring smile.

"That shield will keep him contained, dude. If it helps, we kinda know who he might be working with. Our big boss back at the spa might give us a few tips to fight the magic he's using." he said, a plan already on his mind.

"And who is this "boss" of yours? Is he the one who gave you your powers?" Superman asked with interest.

"To put it short, he's the keeper of the Miraculouses we wield." Rena said quickly, "We can explain more later, we haven't got time for a lengthy chat. Bunnyx, open us a portal to Master Fu's spa!" the vixen girl ordered.

Bunnyx obeyed, quickly drawing a rune in front of herself that opened up a portal to teleport them away from their current location and into Fu's spa. Superman found himself intrigued as they headed into it. Getting to meet these super-teens and their mentor was proving to be an interesting story he'd have to tell Lois and their son when he got home. He took one last look at Manchester Black, silently warning that he'd be back before following the teens into the portal. He just prayed that this "Fu" person would have the answer to this horrific situation...

* * *

Over in Tibet, things were considerably calmer and lacking any psychotic meta-humans with shadowy tentacles to command. But the heroes that had journeyed there weren't sure things would stay that way for long.

To put it lightly, everything just seemed...too good for them. Entering the temple, the group saw that everyone was minding their own business, though they seemed a bit stiff with their movements and hardly stopped smiling. The whole place also looked very clean despite being shut off from other places of civilisation, with its more cream like tiled walls and golden marble floors. The room they were taken to was on the second floor, where it as very large and held a good number of beds. A smooth over the mattresses and blankets sent a relaxing smoothness through the souls of the group as they tested them, giving them a sense of comfort from the great cold outside. It was not what you'd have thought a temple high in the mountains would have had, and it was something Constantine couldn't help but voice when the monk who took them in left.

"Well, that's it, something is definitely not right in this place! An attempt at false sense of security, no monk would let us bunk in with them!" he yelled, waving his arms in frustration, not wanting to play nice anymore.

"Well of your that suspicious, how about you don't scream it out?" Adrien said bluntly to the British man, who shot him a look that had all brightness gone from it.

"Do you think they'll give a shit if they hear me? If anything they'll use some strange smoke on us to knock us all out. It's how these isolated groups behave when they find a load of strangers on their territory." he said grimly, keeping his eyes on the door, ready to fight anyone who'd come through it.

Marinette sighed as she got Tikki out, as Adrien did with Plagg, sitting next to Kyle on the floor while Nathalie took a seat on the bed, her own eyes focussed on the door as well.

"Well we are alone now so that gives us enough time to think of what to do next. Still, Constantine has a point, no monks would really allow strangers into their temple, nor are they that talkative" Marinette said, her voice full of thought as she smoothed Tikki's head.

"That and I've never seen such a isolated place in the world look so luxurious. Not something you'd find up in the mountains." Kyle noted as he took in their surroundings, getting his ring out from his pocket.

"As much as I agree this is very odd, I'd rather be in here than be out in the cold and likely get buried in a snowstorm. Still, the way how that monk behaved, it was forced, like he was trying too hard to be nice. Something I've seen people do a lot." Nathalie said sternly, her voice lacking any form of ease in her as she wondered what was going on around them.

"Good thing Ive got this then." Kyle said quietly as he slid his ring on.

Interestingly, his ring flashed softly, but his costume didn't reappear. Most likely it was down to his control over whatever bond he had with the ring. Holding his hand out, he beamed it down onto the floor, which flashed a similar colour before it was highlighted. Plagg whistled, impressed as they saw a x-ray styled scan, revealing the many monks below them and the structure of the downstairs.

"Now that's awesome, mister angel dude." he said brightly as he and Tikki floated over the scan he was making.

Kyle frowned as he felt something come over him, humming in slight confusion.

"Weird...according to my ring, this whole building is pretty new. Like, really new, only about a year old. Building something like this out in the mountains shouldn't have taken a few months to build." he said concernedly, getting a nervous look from Marinette and Adrien at this. Tikki then noticed something behind the staircase on the scan, so she jumped onto it, getting Kyle's attention.

"Excuse me? Could you try and zoom in over here? There's a room here I don't think we saw on our way in." she said in a uncertain tone, but still interested.

Kyle nodded, using his hand to swipe over around the staircase to reach the room on his scans. His eyes narrowed as he saw that the room was indeed quite small, but it still packed something big from what he could see on the scan. A highlight of a hatch in the floor rested behind the door, but even more so, he could see the steps that led down from the hatch. The lighting gotten darker as they faded into the dark, but it didn't stop Kyle from zooming in on the steps. There was a look of shock on their faces as they saw the steps went down even further.

"Okay, you mean to say that they have a path that leads right inside the mountain? I don't think that's normal for a mere temple." Adrien said in great concern, a sense of dread coming over him as his nerves tensed up.

"Because this is no mere temple, obviously, my lad. When you have well built steps like that, leading into the mountain, you ain't I'm the right place!" Constantine said, his voice full of great seriousness as he rubbed his hands together, giving them a hard look as he pointed at Kyle, "Now, you keep an eye on these lot, I'm going to look." he said, much to Adrien's wide eyed confusion.

"Wait, on your own?" he asked, standing up to face him. Constantine nodded.

"Yes, on my own, Adrien. I'm the detective here, so you need to leave it to me." he said calmly, not wanting to argue it out with him. This did not settle the nerves in the blonde boy though, for he then grabbed Constantine by his arm and gave him a worried look.

"But, what if something happens to you? You need backup." he said urgently. Constantine tutted as he pulled his hand free from Adrien, who looked confused.

"Adrien, I've been in darker places than a hidden tunnel. If I get in danger, it'll be another walk in the park. But if I do get in trouble, just stick with Kyle." he said, his voice going softer as he recognised the nervous look on Adrien's face. He had to admit, the boy really knew how to attach himself to someone, and not in the annoying way.

Adrien sighed and stood back, giving him a nod to show him his understanding on it. Marinette stood beside him and took his hand.

"We'll keep looking up around here, see if there's anything odd here." she said assuredly, giving her lover's hand a squeeze to give him her warmth. Constantine smiled as he began to open the door, giving Marinette a nod.

"You got brains, darling. Knowing you, you'll find something." he said in admiration, something Marinette didn't know whether to smile or shrink into her shoulders.

Constantine didn't get to see it as he already was leaving the bedroom, beginning to crouch low as he closed the door behind him. Peaking his head over the edge, he could see the number of monks had gone down a bit, giving him enough of a chance to slip on unnoticed. So the Brit began his little trip, keeping low to avoid being seen. He made it to the stairs and made sure his footsteps were quiet so as not to attract the attention of the monks. He sighed quietly as he saw they were focussed on gathering by the front door, so he easily made it to the bottom of the stairs, where he began to walk around to reach the room hidden behind it.

The Brit could feel his heart beating slightly faster in his ears as he reached the door. He felt as if his nerves were ready to burst from his skin as he could only wonder what kind of terror he'd unearth behind this door. Opening it, he looked down to find the hatch with a pull up handle. He didn't even think twice, grabbing it and pulling it open. He almost wished he didn't as he was greeted by a foul wet smell, wrenching his nose and nearly stinging his eyes. He fought off gagging as he covered his mouth, blocking out the stench. His hand reached into his coat and pulled up his torch, pressing its button to fire a beam of light down onto the steps beneath him.

His heart almost coming to a stop, he began his journey deep into the dark, ready to see what was hidden.

* * *

Back in Paris, it was coming into Master Fu's mind that he needed to make a list of the amount of people that came into his home.

He had many guests in here, both friend and foe, and this newest guest was one he never thought he'd ever get to meet.

The portal of Bunnyx's opened into the living area, where the Miraculous team stepped out of and were soon followed by the big guy himself. Superman couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth as he entered into the living room. His great sense of smell picked up the soft smell of oranges the candles let off, leaving him smiling as he realised the mentor of the teens was certainly a well mannered and comfortable man.

The man himself looked pretty speechless to say the least when he saw Superman standing right in front of him, barely registering the smile on his face as Rena Rouge introduced them both with a hint of proudness in her voice.

"This is our guy, Superman! Master Wang Fu, Guardian of the Miraculouses, and Adrien's carer!" she said, gesturing a hand out to the old man, who couldn't help but begin to smile as he finally let it settle in at whom was with them now. Superman had a look of sudden realisation on his face as he knelt down to the older man.

"Of course, yes, I remember now, Batman mentioned Adrien would be staying with someone by the name of Fu. Glad to meet you at last, good sir. I hope Adrien is recovering well." he greeted kindly as he shook Master Fu's hand, which instantly gripped the one that took his, his smile in amazement as he responded to the tall man in front of him.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Superman! I have to say, for being alive for nearly two hundred years, your arrival was the most greatest to witness in my many years! A pleasure to have you in my home!" he said ecstatically as Nooroo poked his head up from behind Fu's shoulder, his eyes wide in awe as he saw the caped hero in front of him. He gave him a little smile.

"It was very nice of what you said of Adrien on the TV, sir. It really comforted him to know you were supporting him." he said shyly, gratitude in his voice.

Superman smiled as he gave the Kwami a little rub with his finger, before standing up as he looked around with a questioning look on his face.

"Yes. About Marinette and Adrien, where are they? Thought they'd be here to help deal with Manchester." he said in observation, his voice concerned on their whereabouts. Carapace nervously put up his hand, wanting to put a few words out to him.

"Oh, yeah, thing is, they got a lead on where Adrien's mom is, so they've gone to Tibet to look, so we're keeping things covered for them while they're gone. Still, didn't think some crackhead would attack Paris with his weed powers." he explained, his voice getting slightly grumpy as they turned the subject back to Manchester.

Superman nodded in understanding.

"I see. I'll try to help bring Manchester in before they get back, because no one deserves to put up with someone like him. Still, it's his powers that greatly concern me even more. It's nothing like I had encountered before. We were hoping you could give us some light on it, Master Fu?" he asked, a look of interest on his face as he looked back to the elderly man, who nodded with a bitter look.

"Yes, I saw on the TV. I'll get the book, hold on." he said, quickly running off to go get his book from the room.

Just as Master Fu left the room, Carapace's wrist watch bleeped and a look of concern came over his face as he looked to his girlfriend and the two others.

"Aww geez...uh, you think I'll be okay to give Wayzz a recharge here in front of him?" he asked Rena Rouge. Queen B chuckled as she grabbed her hair piece.

"Oh c'mon, he's Superman. He's not gonna tell anyone, is he?" she remarked lightly, already feeling relaxed about doing this.

"Yeah, and I don't think our Kwamis will be happy if they missed out on meeting him. Just as she said, he's Superman." Bunnyx said gladly say she pulled out her pocket watch.

Rena shrugged with a smile as she began to remove her necklace, not needing any words to show she made up her mind. Carapace felt more better at this, so he went forward with removing his own Miraculous just as they did. A brief flash of their colours filled the room, and soon they were standing there in their normal clothes, allowing Superman to meet them properly along with their Kwamis, all of whom began to circle around him, leaving him looking rather amused by their appearances.

"My my, you really look like your made of steel! What's your secret?" Trixx asked with interest as he eyed the big biceps of the tall man.

"Do you see yourself as a king because of your powers?" Pollen asked eagerly, looking at his head to try and picture a crown on him.

"Like to have a peek in your future?" Fluff asked with a teasing tone.

"Do you see yourself as more of brains or brawn?" Wayzz questioned, wanting to know more of Superman while he was in front of him. Nino chuckled as he scooped the little green Kwami in his hands, as did the rest of their respective owners.

"Heh, save those questions for later, my dude! Supes is here to help boot that guy off our tower!" Nino reminded him, giving the man in the cape some space as they decided to greet each other properly.

"Okay, I'm Alya, BFF of Ladybug and third in command. This is Trixx, lovable ball of sassiness." Alya introduced herself and Trixx.

"I'm Nino, the knight of this beautiful babe right here, and this dude is the best teacher I can have, Wayzz." Nino greeted as he looked an arm around Alya and a careful hold on Wayzz.

"I'm Lila. Let's just say I turned out better as a person unlike some people, and this little princess here gave me a chance to be a real hero." Lila greeted, getting a playful poke from Pollen.

"And I'm Alix, best roller skater in the class and this girl here makes me look good in blue and white" Alix said, giving Fluff a wink.

Superman chuckled, giving them a nod.

"Great to know the people behind the masks. Your secret is safe with me." he assured as Master Fu entered the room, carrying his book in his hands and placing it on the table in the centre of the living room.

Their attention drawn to him, Master Fu opened the book as Alya sat next to him.

"Master, that thing that's turned the Eiffel Tower dark, it looked like the ooze that attacked this place earlier. You got anything about the Ziszhui in your book or at least how to counter them?" She asked concernedly as Superman knelt opposite they table "It depends. Was there anything specific aside from the tentacles?" the elderly man asked back.

"Manchester did mention he was working with someone to achieve this and that he had planted a seed. Could be at the bottom of the tower." Superman responded, a guess going in his mind as he tried to put it together. Lila gave him an odd look.

"Well, if it's a seed, can't you just punch your way underground and tear it out from below?" she asked him in a simple tone, though he shook his head at this.

"I would if it wasn't in a populated area like Paris. That and the seed being magical could put me out of action of action if used against me." he explained, recognising the risks if he were to try that.

"But if it's a seed, surely we can put some magical steriliser on it, right?" Nino asked in a hopeful tone, only to get a amused look from Master Fu.

"Heh, funny you should say that, for the ingredients to do so are in here. It's just a matter of getting it out of the ground." he said kindly as he finally found the page he was looking for. He hummed in a slightly serious tone as he took in what he was reading from the book, leaving everyone in silence at this. His eyes narrowing, he looked to Superman.

"You were the closest to him. Did he seem somewhat different to you?" he asked, his brain already clicking away at what was the best in fighting the criminal. Superman looked thoughtful as he thought back to how the fight with Manchester went.

"The aura he gives off is usually purple, but this time it was red. Given he's a psychic, I assume it's a telepathic link he's using to control the seed." he guessed.

Master Fu shook his head as Nooroo sat beside the book.

"Thats not exactly the case according to this. In the past, those who used control over these seeds would have to consume the blood of a Ziszhui. In this case, your enemy must've done so but his powers give him a bigger advantage. No wonder the Ziszhui's leader sought him out." the Kwami explained to Superman, who looked disgusted upon hearing how these specific powers worked. Alya cringed.

"Ugh, so just like a spider, he's eaten one in a way. Still, what is it with this guy and why does he hate you that much?" she asked Superman as the thought left them both.

He had a look of bitterness on his face as he thought back to how this battle with Manchester started.

"It was about five years after I publicly appeared. He was a vigilante who used his powers to bring his own sense of justice to England but it was brutal and cruel. It wasn't easy defeating him, for despite depleting his powers, his belief in barbaric justice is what kept fuelling him, and his followers. We've had to work hard to keep him locked up and rehabilitate him, but he's stopped at nothing to bring his view onto other countries. I'm sorry he's come to yours." he explained, bitter as he thought of how many times Manchester tried to bring his way of belief onto others.

"Joke's on him, he's just gonna become a puppet for the Ziszhui if he succeeds." Trixx said bluntly, thinking lowly of Manchester Black.

"All the more reason to get him away from here. A puppet as powerful as him would still be problematic for you al.l" Superman told the Kwami, his voice still full of worry as he could only think of what such a world would look like.

"Well, I can easily make the ingredients needed to destroy the seed. It's a matter of getting Manchester away from the tower, finding the seed, containing it and destroying it." Master Fu said in gladness as he stood up, reading what he needed, "I'll get it ready. The rest of you need to come up with a plan good enough to stop that criminal." he said as he ran towards the kitchen, beginning to work on what was needed to destroy the seed.

Alya was already looking thoughtful at this, wording it away.

"Okay, so we gotta get Manchester away from the tower and destroy the seed..." her face then brightened as she looked at Alix, who looked to be waiting for her moment.

"Got it! Alix, you open a portal to Manchester, Superman can pull him out, he can then use his X-Ray vision to find the seed, Nino can contain it with a Shell-Ter and we can use the ingredient to destroy it!" she said ecstatically, having it all pictured in her head and already seeing the outcome.

The others looked impressed, with Alix giving her a shrug.

"Seems easy to follow. Guess we all need a huge recharge for this." she said as she petted Fluff's head while Nino went to the kitchen.

"I'll get the food. And Fu's gotta teach me how to come up with these ingredients!" he said, already fuelled to get going.

Superman seemed satisfied and looked to Alya with a smile.

"You're clearly a great thinker, young girl. Ladybug seemed to have made the right choice in getting you to join her." he said kindly to Alya, who looked bashful at the praise he was giving her.

"Ohhhhh. Well, she is my BFF and I did help her a lot before becoming a superhero." she said shyly, getting an admirable chuckle from the caped superhero.

"Heh, I can see that" he said softly before looking to the open door that led to the hallway. He gave her a former look.

"I just need to give an update on the situation. I'll be right back" he said as he made a run for the hallway, much to Alya's raised interest.

"Oh, Uh, say hi to them from me!" she called as he closed the door behind him.

Alya let out a happy sigh as she sunk onto the sofa behind her, clenching her fists in excitement as Trixx sat on her lap, giving her a grin.

"Seems like you won the lottery. That excited to meet him?" he asked in interest, getting a big smile off of Alya.

"Well of course, it's Superman! I knew he was respectful, but I didn't think he was this nice! This is just awesome!" Alya said happily, getting a giggle out of Lila, who was sat on the chair nearest to her.

"Heh, if you're that excited, you should get an interview out of him, put it on the Ladyblog. That'll boost more worldwide interest." she said in a smart tone, getting a click of a fingers from the Martiquean girl.

"Oh now that is an idea! The Man of Steel on the Ladyblog, that'd be so awesome!" she yelled. Lila smirked at this.

"Better go ask him before this is all over." she reminded the reporter teen, who looked shocked.

"Yes, of course, he'd be rocketing out of here before you know it!" she said as she jumped off the sofa and made her way towards the door he left through.

As she neared the door, though, Alya paused as she heard Superman speaking in a more quieter tone. Raising an eyebrow, Alya leaned her head against the door to listen in. He shouldn't have to whisper if it was updating the League. To be honest, why didn't he just go to the corner of the room and do it? It wouldn't have bothered either them or her friends. So she decided to listen in on what he had to say.

In the hallway, Superman was actually talking on a mobile phone, something he would not use to contact the Justice League. Speaking in a quiet and assuring voice, he smiled as he got further into the conversation.

"You don't need to worry, Lois. These guys are actually quite good at what they're doing, and I trust them. You shouldn't worry about me, it won't do you any good if you get stressed out." he said lightly. He smirked as he gotten her response, giggling as she finished.

"Heh, I did tell you to take a month off work. Listen, when I get back from this, I'll call us both in for unavailability. It's been a while since we had a day off together as a family. That and Jon will love to get some treats from Paris. He deserves a little super treat every now and then, like any kid does." he said, his voice going soft as he thought of his beloved little boy back at home, probably staying up at night reading comics or manga.

He giggled again.

"Yeah, go on, pass him over." he said gladly, hearing the phone's user switching over to another user. He smiled brighter as he heard the sweet, happy voice of his son on the other end.

"Hey Jonno. I'm sorry I'm working late, lil' guy, but I promise tomorrow we're having the day to ourselves. I heard the funfair will be at its busiest so that means lots of candy. But you do need to get to sleep, otherwise your energy will be zapped and you won't have any for the fair. Heh, I love you too, son. Goodnight. And goodnight to you as well, Lois. I love you." he said, his voice full of pleasure as he enjoyed hearing their voices. The soft and happy voice of his son and the cheeky and quirky attitude of his wife certainly added more to his life.

Beaming, he pocketed his phone into the golden part of his belt. Yet just before he turned around, he heard the gasp of a certain girl from behind the door. His eyes glowing a slight blue, he turned to the door to see right through its material, finding Alya right behind it. He let out a blow of air as he realised she just listened in on him. His voice firm, he called out to her.

"Alya, you can open the door".

Slowly doing so, the Martiquean girl looked really nervous, her smile gone and her eyes wide, fearing she was now gonna get frozen in ice and locked away for hearing such a private conversation. Yet Superman didn't show any sign of hurting her. Instead he folded his arms and gave her a slight smile.

"You do know it's not polite to eavesdrop." he pointed out to her, his voice respectful.

Alya almost jumped at what he just said. Her chest easing, she looked at him up and down as a nervous came over her face.

"I...I really didn't mean to, s-sir! I was just gonna ask you something but I overheard and, l-look, your secret is safe with me, I promise, I'm a big fan of Lois Lane and I wouldn't dream of upsetting her or your son." she said, her hands waving up and down as if begging for him not to hit her.

Superman smiled and gently rested his hands on her arms, his eyes holding no anger in them.

"I know you won't. But I would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. Not many people know I'm married and have a son. He doesn't even know I'm Superman yet." he admitted, his voice light as he explained this to her. Alya couldn't help but smile at the thought, Superman having a family and being a good husband and father. It just worked.

"I bet he'll be so happy when you tell him." she said, giving him a look that showed she was being genuine. And he could tell it, allowing him to give her a nod.

"I hope so. And if you do tell someone, I'd prefer it was Marinette and Adrien." he suggested. She nodded.

"They are so great at keeping secrets! Heck, I bet Marinette is figuring out what she'll to her parents where she's been and it'll be one they'll listen to." she said, giving him assurance on the great secrets her best friend and her lover could keep.

* * *

Of course, those two were already wondering if they were going to be stuck for another day as they sat nervously on the bed in their bedroom in the temple, looking at the door. Adrien clenched his hands, his eyes not coming off the door as his heart pounded. Marinette could almost hear it, telling her he was not coping that well, so she took his hand into hers. A slight jolt ran through Adrien as he felt her warmth running over him, and this made him lower his back slightly as he looked at her. Worry but confidence was in her eyes as she looked into his own.

"You need to take it easy, Adrien. Kyle saw him go down there on his scans. He might be back up here soon." she said assuredly. While her voice certainly added in settling his nerves, it didn't stop Adrien on voicing them.

"I just don't want anyone else to die. I mean, so many already have and because of me. And he's been gone for about ten minutes and we've heard nothing." he said bitterly, sighing as he let go of more tension in his nerves.

Nathalie ended up sitting beside him and gave him a stern look, her eyes showing that usual serious look again. Adrien wasn't scared of them anymore, but they still got his attention.

"Those who died recently were not down to you, Adrien. Not Chloe, not Gabriel, and not Andre. I thought you stopped blaming yourself according to what I heard from Master Fu. Why do so now?" she asked sharply, trying to get to the matter at hand.

Adrien looked stunned at the point she made and it did leave him lost in thought. He did give an answer though and it wasn't a weak one.

"I guess it's because we're so close now. So close to finding mom and already we've got stuff in our way that could cost more lives. I was already on the mend and was letting it go before coming here. It's just a reminder that things won't get good until we find her." he said tiredly, coming to accept he wouldn't be fully free of this horrible tension inside of him until he found his mother.

Marinette smiled as she smoothed his hair, her hand sending warmth running down his back that brought a smile to his face.

"You know it'll get better, Adrien. I think your mother is the final puzzle piece to you getting better, and your just about there. What comes between you and her, we'll fight it beside you." she told her boyfriend, who gave her a long gaze as he got that big reminder that he wasn't doing this alone. He had her here and Nathalie was here too. And they had Kyle, who now decided to stand up. He stood back from where he was sitting down on and backed up against the wall behind him.

"I'm just getting a larger visual on the place. Haven't seen any of the monks come back around this way." he said in interest, looking down to the scan of the floor below as it extended.

Standing up to see what he was seeing, Marinette, Adrien and Nathalie noticed the scan had now given them a look at the front door of the temple. They looked confused as they saw the door was indeed closed, but there was no monks standing around it. Nathalie felt something swirl in her stomach as she could only wonder why they weren't there.

"Okay...any idea on where they could be now?" she asked Kyle in a nervous voice.

Before he could respond, Tikki voiced her own discovery as she saw the outline of a square hatch in the floor, one she didn't notice before.

"Um, Me Rayner, could you focus on this, please?" she asked the Lantern hero, who followed her little arm's point. He frowned as he saw the outline of the hatch door as well, everyone following his gaze.

"I didn't see this before. Guess we make good discoveries when together, Hmm?" he said lightly to Tikki, who floated down onto the hatch. Plagg shook his head.

"What do you hope to find in there? Jars of head hair?" he asked bluntly, not even noticing Tikki morph through the floor to get through to the other side.

A second later and Plagg had to jump to avoid being swatted by an incoming flap of the opening hatch. Tikki came flying back up and floated by Marinette's side as they crouched over the opened hatch, seeing a wrapped piece of cloth holding something in it. Reaching his hand down, Marinette grabbed the piece of cloth in a tight grip and started pulling it up. She frowned as she realised it wasn't holding anything, so it was clearly on its own.

Opening it up, she and the others around her found themselves gazing down at the large red symbol. Of course, Marinette, Adrien, Tikki and Plagg gasped loudly as they recognised what it was. They saw it before...in Master Fu's home...

"That's...that's the symbol of the Chinese Order of Guardians!" Tikki squeaked loudly, almost terrified as to what this meant, which left Marinette slowly turning to look at her.

"Does...this mean we're right on top of it?" she asked, clearly nervous now.

* * *

At the same time, the journey through dark seemed near endless for Constantine. He started to wonder if he took a wrong turn and was gonna end up slipping down a hole. He sighed miserably, in dire need of some more light than the one his torch was letting off now.

The British Detective should've watched his next step for it might be his last. The step he placed his foot on came loose from the weight of his shoe and this caused him to slip forward and come crashing into his front. He let out a cry of pain as he ended up rolling down now, each sharp piece of the wall cutting through his coat and leaving him covered in sharp cuts. This little roll ended quickly as he came coming out of a doorway of sorts, crashing right onto his back.

Grunting loudly, he felt his wounds get wetter, so he wasn't up for picking himself back up yet. It didn't stop Constantine from at least trying to make a guess at where he was. Opening his eyes, the man frowned as he swore he could see red lighting stretching far above him, under the soft glow of red. He didn't settle himself though for his hands felt a thick wetness that stretched out around him, causing his heart to stop for a second as it felt familiar.

His head turning around, he withheld a gasp as he saw all around him was an endless space of web and rock, the former of which was red but so thick it could hold him in the air.

A slight hiss occurred above his head, causing him to look up. His eyes widened slightly but his face was lost of any emotion as he saw what was coming at him. He only had this to say:

"Well, fuck me".

* * *

Up in the room, before Tikki could even give an answer to Marinette's question, her eyes went wide as a run of cold ran right through body. She cried out as she then crashed to the floor, gritting her teeth in pain as her friends watched on in horror. Plagg floated down beside her and grabbed her head.

"Tikki? Tikki, what is it!?" he asked, his voice greatly showing his fear for his friend. It was then Kyle's ring then flashed, causing him to look at it in shock.

"What the!? A spike of fear, right now!?" he asked in confusion, not getting how his ring was picking this up right now.

Tikki looked to Plagg with nothing but fear in her eyes, realisation coming to her right now.

"Plagg...she's here." she said, her voice now a whisper, almost too scared to speak even louder.

This didn't stop Adrien from hearing what she just said though, and this only meant one thing to him as he looked to Marinette.

"That means the Ziszhui must be here as well! We have to get Constantine, now!" he said, scooping Plagg up into his hand and making a run for the door. Marinette quickly got hold of Tikki.

"Adrien, hold on!" she called, running right after him. Nathalie soon took off after them, leaving Kyle sighing as he used his ring to fully transform into his Lantern look.

"Guess I wasn't fast enough." he said to himself as he floated off the ground and went after them.

As they journeyed down the stairs, none of them even noticed how darker the bottom floor looked now, and there was a lack of monks as well. What kept them from noticing this was Tikki and Plagg's protests as they yelled at their owners.

"Marinette, please, you have to turn back from this! You heard what Constantine said!" Tikki pleaded, wanting to get free of Marinette's hand, but the blue haired girl shook her head and gave her a sharp look.

"No Tikki! I'm not turning away! If this is the same person that attacked Paris, then we're putting a stop to her!" Sshe said, not arguing any further with Tikki.

"You can't turn me from this either, Plagg, if my mom involved, then I'm going in!" Adrien said to Plagg, his eyes narrow for him to show he's not taking a word from Plagg.

With a cry for their transformations, Ladybug and Chat Noir stood where Marinette and Adrien once were once they reached the door, soon joined by Nathalie and Kyle, both of whom they looked at.

"This is the right door?" Ladybug asked Kyle, who responded with a quick nod.

Chat Noir took that as an option to go forward with his action. He extended his glowing staff and torn it up on the door, destroying it. He didn't stop there, for he launched his staff down onto the hatch in the floor, giving them free entry to get down the tunnel. Kyle stepped forward, his ring glowing brighter as he aimed it down the steps.

"Let's shine some light on this, huh?" he suggested, following this up with a big blast of energy fired from his ring.

Kyle led the way, flying right in and continuously firing down into the hole. Ladybug jumped in after him, with Chat Noir grabbing Nathalie's hand and taking off after them. Nathalie did her best to run as fast as he was, though she had to avoid nearly tripping up a few times given how fast they were going down here. But it crossed her mind that even if they did reach the bottom, she wasn't sure if they were to find Emilie dead or alive...

It didn't take long for them finally reach the other end, with Kyle finishing his blast with a extra shot, blasting a chunk right out of their way and sending it flying across the room, tearing right through the many webs that filled the room in front of them. Kyle noticed this and quickly spread his arms out, stopping Ladybug and Chat Noir from going ahead of him. They paused for a second to catch their breath, allowing them to observe that there was a trap they'd have easily walked into if they didn't stop just then.

Ladybug sighed after recovering her breath before looking further around.

"Looks like we've stumbled into the lion's lair. Just a horribly webby one. Any way we can explore this place without getting stuck in these things?" she asked Kyle, who responded by beaming a solid walk path from his ring, aiming it into the clearest gap in the room.

Keeping his thoughts focussed, Kyle floated out through the hole, giving them space to walk onto the path he just constructed. Ladybug turned her yoyo into her Ladyblades, pointing them out as she walked into the path. Chat Noir took Nathalie's hand and pulled her onto the path, glancing at her.

"Stay close. Ziszhui's might be anywhere." he warned, his hand tight as they walked further out onto the path.

Ladybug tried not to lose her balance as she looked down at the huge webs beneath the path, tightly holding her Ladyblades as she looked back up.

"This looks like it can go on forever. Could take us hours to find anyone in this place." she said pointedly, keeping an eye on anything that might move. Kyle looked ahead, not seeing the shadow looming behind him.

"Well, depending on how far this goes, I'll pull you back and try to cut down the webs. See if we can find anything as we get through it." he suggested.

This plan never came to get made as suddenly, a thick red web lassoed around his wrist that was helping use the construct. Gasping, Kyle caught the attention of his friends below. They gasped as they saw the web wrapped around his wrist, but then they noticed the looming shadow coming up to him.

"BEHIND YOU!" Chat Noir yelled, extending his baton up into the air towards the shadow, aiming to find whoever was there and destroy it.

Instead, though, his baton didn't hit anything. Instead it seemed like someone grabbed it, with it now trying to pull him off his feet. Grunting, Chat Noir looked to Nathalie as he let go of her hand.

"Run, get back to the hole!" he yelled as Ladybug tried to throw a blade out at the web that had Kyle by the wrist.

Nathalie went to make a run for it, but this came just as the Ladyblade bounced right off the web. Before Ladybug could even gasp, the blade pierced the construct, causing it to split apart from where it hit it. Eyes widening, Ladybug, Chat Noir and Nathalie cried out as they fell from the path once it vanished, crying out as they were then stuck in the many webs around them, getting horribly wrapped up in the thick of the red. The Miraculous heroes lost hold of their weapons, leaving them empty as they struggled to fight free of the webs.

Kyle grunted as he tried to focus a blast on the web holding him, hoping to cut through it and get free. Instead, though, steam began to rise from the web and the young man couldn't help but feel a hot burning pain run right through his arm, causing him to lose concentration. Biting back the pain, Kyle instead tried to fly up, only for another web to catch his leg, stopping him from going any further. Grunting, Kyle tried pull his leg free, but it was then that a chill came over his head, causing his whole self to cease action.

Looking up, Kyle almost felt his blood leave his face as a face, upside down from his own, came over him, smiling as she trailed her hands down to his hand. She giggled in delight as she saw his face lose colour, her fingers pulling on his ring.

"Heh, typical men. Act so strong because of their muscles and testosterone. Yet remove their prized possessions or have them face greater power, they act like they've lost their balls and prick. This ring makes you nothing, with or without it." she said softly as she removed the ring from Kyle's finger, turning him back to normal.

Abyss playfully fiddled with the ring, eyeing it.

"Yes...very useless." she chuckled before throwing it down below, leaving it lost to the dark below. Before Kyle realised it, his hand and leg was free from the webs, leaving him to fall from his place in the air, his body falling into the webs far below the many webs that held Ladybug, Chat Noir and Nathalie, all of whom were desperately trying to get free of the red holdings.

But it was futile, for the many arachnids there was in this room began to descend upon them all. Ladybug bared her teeth as darkness came over her eyes, a hard thick coldness running over her body that took her out of consciousness...

They were in Abyss's hands now.

* * *

_**Talk about "come into my parlour said the spider to the fly"! Our heroes are in a sticky situation (literally) and Superman's presence isn't necessarily putting a stop to Manchester's havoc in Paris. Fu may have the key to stopping the whole thing but will his ingredient work? How will Ladybug and her team escape Abyss? What will happen now they've been captured by the spider-monster?**_

_**Tune in next time as Adrien is in for a LOOOOOOONG overdue reunion and Abyss's plans come full circle...**_


	6. Chapter 5: Reunions

_Chapter 5: Reunions_

Darkness was all that held Marinette's eyes, while a prickling trail of numbness ran up her back that was not a welcomed feeling to her. It was enough for her senses to begin coming around, and what she registered didn't sit well with her in the slightest. She felt a tight form of wetness over her body that left her feeling constricted. This only made Marinette's eyes begin to slowly open as a rush of blood ran right through her, leading her to open them more faster as the horrible feeling took over her. What she saw didn't settle Marinette at all. She found herself wrapped from neck to toe in the red web that was darted all around the underground lair, her hands stuck to her hips as her legs were stuck together.

Gasping upon seeing this, Marinette resisted screaming as she threw her head back, only to hit the cold hard surface of the wall behind her. Realising she was not hanging in the air, Marinette used this chance to look around, fear rising in her that she was all alone. As she did so, she realised there was a rush of air going through her lobes, making her eyes widen as it hit her she didn't have her Miraculouses, which only made her look around more faster as graphic thoughts came to her mind.

"Oh god! No no no no! Adrien! Tikki! H-Hello!?" she cried, trying to push back against the web that held her.

She didn't care if she was going to exhaust herself, she needed to get out quickly, to find them all now and rescue them. She would not forgive herself if anything happened to them!

Yet as she struggled more, her ears picked up the sound of loud gasps coming from above her, alerting her that she wasn't alone. And surely enough, a voice came to her ears. A voice that brought some comfort to her that eased her struggling.

"Marinette!? I'm up here! I-I can see you!" her head turned to the upper right, where she caught sight of Adrien. He was in the same position as she was, tightly wrapped up in a web and pressed against the wall, his eyes wide as he tried to wrestle free from the web that held him.

Marinette couldn't help but feel a bit of relief run through her as she saw he was still alive, though she wished she could reach out to him and give each other that warm support both direly needed.

"Thank god! A-Adrien, you're not hurt are you!?" She called up to him, worry in her voice.

"No, I just can't move! I haven't got Plagg or my Miraculous!" he called back, struggling to free himself from his restraints.

Marinette groaned, trying to wriggle her arms free.

"Same, I haven't got Tikki or my earrings!" she said, looking around to try and get a look at the place.

Her eyes then widened more as her vision began to settle in more clearly, for all around her, Marinette could see large, body like cocoons holding many bodies around her. Her eyes could easily make out who was in them. The blonde hair and the thin face of John Constantine was sitting far above her, to his right was Nathalie, and there was another next to her. But it wasn't Kyle. It was instead the girl she had fought when the Light came to Paris...Kagami.

"It's her! That girl from the Light!" Marinette exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the unconscious girl that was webbed up like she was.

She wanted to peel away from the wall and go up to her to not only help her, but also hopefully get answers to the questions that were bugging her ever since she'd first seen Kagami during the Light's invasion. But those questions would have to wait as there was no breaking the web and Kagami was clearly out of it. Her head hung to one side and her eyes were closed. Marinette worried that she might not even be alive but upon closer inspection, she noticed the web over her chest moving up-and-down slightly, meaning she was still breathing. Sighing with relief, Marinette relaxed slightly knowing that she wasn't staring at another corpse. Adrien looked down at Kagami from where he'd been webbed, sharing Marinette's intrigued expression.

"I never thought we'd see her again." Adrien murmured, "Could this mean the Light are back again?"

"I don't think so." Marinette guessed, "I doubt they'd have sent this girl alone if they were involved. But I am curious why she's here. Whatever the reason, she clearly had less luck than we did."

"You don't say." Constantine said sarcastically, "Now how's about we try gettin' out of here instead of chin-wagging?"

"Unless you have some kind of magic spell that'll make the webs disappear, we're not going anywhere." Marinette sighed, "Where's Kyle? I don't see him with you, me, Adrien or Nathalie! And where are Tikki and Plagg?"

"You needn't ask so many questions little girl. I'm right here to answer them for you if you wish..." hissed an oily, feminine voice that made everyone look around wildly.

Marinette saw it first, four red eyes detaching themselves from the shadows and creeping towards her, a whole body seemingly forming around said eyes. Now everybody could see Abyss for themselves, clear as crystal with no shadows to hide her, they all recoiled in disgust. This half-woman, half-arachnid creature was the most repulsive looking thing any of them had ever seen. It was like this monster was trying to hide the fact it was one by having a half-human appearance to make herself look less ugly. If anything, it actually made her more disgusting to look at as her spider-features still betrayed any attempt to look attractive. Adrien was the first to speak, unable to contain himself.

"Gotta say, you sure won't win any beauty contests with that kind of face!" he spat.

Abyss just smirked, flashing her sharp fangs in a mocking sneer that suggested this attempt to insult her didn't work. If anything, she seemed amused by it.

"I do love it when scared little boys like you get insulting. It just further emphasizes how pathetic you are." Abyss jeered, "Unable to fight back, you just resort to petty name-calling. How humanity is the dominant force in this world is anyone's guess..."

"Who said I'm scared?" Adrien scoffed, his voice trying to hide the actual fear he had in him.

"I am the Kwami of Fear boy, I can sense fear in anyone, anytime and EVERYWHERE." Abyss retorted, "Don't dare pretend with me because I can smell it...taste it on you even." she added, running her slimy tongue over her fangs as if something in the air was delicious to her.

"Leave Adrien alone!" Marinette spat venomously, "If you want to pick on someone, pick on me instead! I'm the current Ladybug so you should be interested in me more than anyone else!"

"Oh don't doubt for a minute I'm interested in you darling. I am VERY interested in you..." Abyss purred, crawling across her web towards the restrained teenager.

Marinette grimaced, her skin crawling just watching this hideous woman coming towards her. Never before had she been so desperate to get away from a villain since her time as a prisoner on Apokalips. Abyss positioned herself in front of Marinette, her four eyes fixated on the blue-haired girl. Adrien tugged against his webs, eager to tear away and pounce on the fear-master. Abyss grinned again, flashing her fangs at Marinette.

"Yes dear child...you're quite a fascinating specimen." she crooned, "Such beauty in your young age and you wield such incredible power...I do have to question the sanity of the Miraculous Keeper if YOU are the one he gave the earrings to. As interesting as you are, you're also pretty disappointing. As a Ladybug, I expected a bigger battle. I know that insolent Amazon queen gave my darling Ziszhui a tough fight many centuries ago so I expected the same from you. As is, all things get weaker when they are smaller."

"Let me out of this web and I'll show you how much this "small" person can hurt you!" Marinette growled.

"And miss out on the chance to feast on the fears of a Ladybug? Ha, ha, ha...why pass up THAT opportunity?" the spider-woman said dismissively, "It'd be a lot more fun than a battle with a weakling like YOU. As for your little friend Tikki, you don't have to worry about her. She and Plagg are in my care and I'll treat well..."

She then reached behind her and showed Marinette a web-cocoon that contained both Tikki and Plagg tightly wrapped together and dangling from a single strand she held between her fingers. They were unconscious just like Kagami was. Marinette was relieved to see them but their being here hardly gave her much comfort as they were still in a bad situation. If anything, getting to see them seemed more cruel than kind on Abyss's behalf, a way of twisting the knife to show how helpless their situation was.

"What are you gonna do with them?" Marinette asked, her brave demeanour replaced with concern.

"All in good time sweetie." Abyss purred dryly, "I prefer to reveal everything a step at a time, much like when a spider spins its web. If it'll make you feel better, I'm willing to answer your other questions you had earlier."

She put Tikki and Plagg back behind her, the web attaching them to her back so she didn't have to carry them. Then Abyss spoke on, her finger poking lightly into Marinette's chest just over where her heart was. She could feel it kicking against her ribcage inside, some terrified animal wanting to break out and run away.

"The other girl in my possession was sent here by Vandal Savage to infiltrate my quarters but she fell into my custody easily enough." Abyss explained, "Her fears have proven to make her an interesting catch. And looking at you, I see a...vague resemblance to her. The blue hair, beautiful face and fair complexion...I'd almost believe you were related. Distant cousins perhaps..."

Marinette gasped. She too had wondered if Kagami was somehow related to her and here was Abyss making the same assumption. Was she a mind-reader as well?

"And Kyle, the all mighty White Lantern of Life...I've kept him somewhere special as I'd rather he not be near you all right now." Abyss continued, "I may have use for a man of his power. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

She then place her hand against Marinette's face and softly caressed it, her clawed hand surprisingly delicate and gentle against her cheek but providing no comfort to Marinette whatsoever. She just felt physically sick and wanted to get this woman off of her. She cringed and whimpered, praying for this nightmare to end. Abyss opened her mouth, her tongue just about to reach out and lick her prey until Adrien cut in.

"GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF OF HER YOU SICK FREAK OF NATURE!" he screamed.

Abyss pulled back, rather slowly in fact, which Marinette cringed at, feeling that sickeningly soft claw trailing away from her left a shiver running across her face. She opened her eyes an inch, seeing Abyss now slyly looking at Adrien with a smirk, as if enjoying the newfound bravery he was displaying. Marinette felt her heart to rock solid as Abyss began to make her way towards Adrien, trying to pull free. Even Constantine tried to get free as well, his eyes burning as he glared down at her "You keep away from him you ugly sod! Come here, now!" He yelled, daring her to come and face him.

"You leave him alone! YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Marinette demanded, fearing what she'd put Adrien through. She saw what Desaad had done to him, she couldn't bare to imagine what Abyss would do to her boyfriend.

Abyss just ignored them as she positioned herself in front of Adrien, who stiffened his lips and hardened his gaze, locking eyes with her to hide his fear. Even as his heart felt like it was going to explode, he wasn't going to show it in front of her, even as she leaned her face closer to his, looking closely at him. She smirked as she smelled him, as if ready to devour him. Adrien clenched his fists under his trappings as Abyss then trailed a claw up his neck, resting it under his chin. Adrien now felt like he was going to be sick, fearing she was going to kiss him.

"Heh, I should've recognised your face. So handsome and beautiful, those eyes that hold such kindness and fire...just like your mother's." Abyss said in delight, pausing to let it hit Adrien what she was talking about.

She watched on as his face fell and his eyes went wide, as did Marinette's, hearing what she just said. For a second, Adrien felt his heart stop. His body lost all feeling as it hit him on what this meant. His mother...Emilie encountered this disgusting monster that was holding her claw to his chin. The very thought of it caused him to restart, his body now furiously trying to push back against the webs that had him. He bared his teeth as his face twisted into a angry scowl, tears ready to fall from his eyes as he tried to head but Abyss, who just giggled at him.

"Where is she!? WHERE IS MY MOTHER!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" he roared into her face, trying to send a fist out to punch her, wanting to rip her apart for whatever she did.

Abyss didn't look deterred and instead chuckled, looking up to the ceiling far above them both. Adrien followed her gaze, but almost wished he didn't as she then clamped her hands onto his cheeks, pressing herself on top of his body, getting a horrified gasp from Marinette. A sickening thought ran through her over what Abyss was going to do to him, and it made her try to push harder against her trappings.

Abyss smirked as she pressed her chin against Adrien's, stopping him from moving to another direction, looking right up at the ceiling.

"She's up there. I can easily bring her down here, give you and her one last conversation effort my world is fully delivered. I have to say, you're a lot like her." she teased, looking back at Adrien as his eyes turned to her own. He almost gasped as he felt her come off of him, though her hands remained clamped on his cheeks, "Strong, protective of those you love, great at withstanding pain, a great way with words. But you certainly are more useful for the long run unlike her. You are perfect, being her child, carrying the best of her in you. I have a need for new humans afterall and I can smell the new generations that'll be sired from you. And who better to use your...magic on than two highly skilled women?" Abyss suggestively said, looking over to Marinette and Kagami as she trailed her finger down Adrien's chest, ready to go lower to a certain area.

Adrien felt a rush of horror come over him while Marinette looked at Abyss in a similar feeling, as if she was just handed a death sentence. It was bad enough Abyss wanted this with two teenagers at such a young age, but to include Kagami as well was a even more horrible thought. Before Abyss could reach her claw to Adrien's private region, he made a shove, now desperate to get out of her grip, making her pull her hand away as she watched him try to fight his way out.

"YOU SICK PIECE OF SHIT! I'M GONNA KILL YOU WHEN I GET OUT, YOU HEAR ME!?" he roared, not wanting to be used as a horrible tool that would traumatise Marinette and Kagami.

Abyss just smiled, sitting back from him as she saw him and Marinette tried to wrestle their way. It was just amusing to her to see this in front of her.

"You don't have a choice. A new era for Earth is coming, and you're needed to restart the human race. Now how about that reunion?" she said sweetly, resting a hand on the wall that led up to the area where Emilie was being held.

The web trails began to move and something from above began to lower itself, causing Adrien to freeze. He could only wait as he wondered what she did to his mother. He was scared Abyss did something utterly horrible to her.

Marinette glared at Abyss, nothing but utter hatred in her eyes as she stared at the spider woman. She was on a similar level to Darkseid, and that was enough to earn her dislike.

"You call yourself a Kwami!? You're nothing of the like! There's nothing about you in the Miraculous book, you're a liar!" she yelled, as if she was now the one in control on this.

Abyss chuckled, glancing at Marinette with nothing but a cheeky look. She reached behind her back and pulled Tikki and Plagg from there, their Miraculouses webbed tightly to their chests. Abyss eyed them both with slight adoration, looking like she was getting fond for a second.

"Oh but I am, dear little bug. I am a Kwami just as much as they are. Just evolved." she stated, running her other hands over her large breasts in pride. Marinette cringed, not against her size, but over what she said.

"Oh really? Then how come they never mentioned you?" she asked, trying to really put it out there this creature couldn't be a Kwami.

Abyss looked to Tikki and Plagg for a second before grinning, looking right at Marinette.

"You can ask them yourselves!" she said brightly, reaching her hands to the gap between Marinette and Adrien, pressing Tikki and Plagg right into the wall.

Both watched on as the webbed trappings glowed red, which sent a jolt right through the two little Kwamis that woke them right up. Their little eyes went wide in terror as they looked around them, realising where they were. Tikki looked the most frightened as it hit her, the fright in her voice easy to tell.

"Oh no...not this again! Not these webs!" she squeaked, trying to get free.

"I always hated these! That creep, she always cheated with these!" Plagg yelled, trying to get out of his trapping. Abyss's shadow looked over them, smirking as she smoothed them both, causing them to freeze. They looked up at her in horror as they faced her.

"Well well, Tikki and Plagg. We meet again at last. You haven't changed since the beginning." she sweetly said, her voice enough to leave someone lost of any feeling. The locked eyes was very telling.

Tikki just shivered, unable to speak as fear eclipsed all other emotions in the little Kwami. She couldn't even stir up actual hate or anger at the most vile Kwami in the universe, just terror. She knew Abyss better than anyone and she knew all too well that being in Abyss's clutches was like being lined up for Death's scythe. Even Plagg, the more laid-back of the duo, couldn't muster up the energy to make any quips or to retort to her in such a way. They were petrified, something that Abyss took great pleasure in seeing. She waved a hand dismissively.

"The Kwami of life and death itself and they're reduced to shivering wrecks before me. How little times change..." Abyss crowed.

She then eyed Marinette and poked Tikki's forehead sharply.

"Your holder demands the truth about us, and I think she'd rather hear it from you than me so tell her EVERYTHING!" Abyss growled, "I'm feeling generous at the moment, sparing a few moments of my precious time to allow you to speak to her again so I'd be grateful and do so before I decide to feed you to my Ziszhui!"

Tikki nodded. There was no reason to keep secrets anymore so she may as well tell Marinette and Adrien everything about her and Plagg's past with Abyss. If anything, they could maybe take advantage of this and use this conversation as a means to stall for time while they try to find a way out of their predicament, or give time to anyone that might be coming to help them should there be anyone aware of their situation. Maybe the other Miraculers would come to them and help. It was worth a try at least. Tikki turned to Marinette, the webbed-up teenager looking back at her with worry in her eyes. It had been a while since Tikki had last seen her holder looking so out-of-her depth.

"Tikki...why did you never tell us about this monster?" Marinette asked, "And how did one of you become...this?" she added, grimacing at ther spider-woman's appearance again.

Tikki's face fell, not looking forward to telling a piece of Kwami history that she and the other Kwami had hoped never to relive again. With sigh, she began the story.

"We never told you about her because we both thought that you'd never need to know about her." the tiny pink creature said, "And also me and all the other Kwami would've preferred not to mention her as she's a black spot in our history, something we preferred to forget about...but there's no going back now."

She turned to Marinette, her large eyes filled with shame and sorrow as if Abyss's very existence was somehow her fault.

"It's true Marinette, Abyss is one of us. The Kwami of Fear...and a Kwami that didn't want to use her powers for good like the rest of us." Tikki murmured sadly, "It's not like Nooroo where Gabriel forced him against his will to use his powers for evil, Abyss became evil of her own volition."

"Heh, I wouldn't say evil, I'm just a pragmatist. But do carry on. Tell her everything. Tell her how you betrayed me." Abyss said in self admiration, looking at Tikki with eyes that held joy in seeing Tikki admitting all this.

"We were created from the very beginning, Marinette, as you know. I'm the Kwami of life, Plagg is the Kwami of death, but the others represent a key matter of things, like Wayzz represents wisdom. But Abyss was the Kwami of fear, the very embodiment of that thing that we all have inside of us." Tikki went on, her voice low as she recounted the very first days of being alive.

"And what better form to take than a spider?" Plagg added.

"We were created from the Life Entity that is inside the Earth. We were sent to tame the surface, to test our powers and work together. We did well with the dinosaurs, but Abyss thought we were too slow in using our methods on others. She said her power was easy with its touch on the dinosaurs, how easily controlled they were and how they'd change in their lives. She said why bother with the other methods when fear was the best way to advance the world? I...didn't agree. I heard her out and I told her no, and that we needed to be patient. She didn't take it well and what followed was a battle the world would never record. Us against Abyss, who used her powers to control the dinosaurs against us. No matter what we did, she just kept on fighting, to prove her point." Tikki went on, thinking back to all that fighting she snd the others did with Abyss, who turned to Plagg with a sickening grin as she knew what was coming next.

"Your turn now, kitten. Tell everyone how you unleashed your full power." she pushed at him, getting Adrien to look at him with a questioning look in his eyes.

Plagg looked dreadful. His eyes looked like they lost their light and there was no way he was covering this lightly. He felt Adrien's eyes on him as he never wanted to talk about something like this. But he had to.

"We went to a last resort to stop Abyss. I...went into space and I guided a meteor to Earth. Tikki got the rest of the others off world and we watched on as I laid waste to Earth. Killing those dinosaurs, all to stop Abyss...to kill her. Turns out it was all for nothing." he admitted, his voice full of guilt as he remembered the fire that burned before his eyes, how Earth turned into a fireball thanks to his work. Adrien's face fell. He wasn't angry at Plagg for what he did, but he was angry that he was being forced to say this. He honestly didn't blame him for trying because their abductor was sick.

"I survived. I'd hidden deep underground. For the first time I felt my own power run through me. I was scared. Scared of being alone, that all my hard work was thrown right into my face, because Tikki thought I was going too far with my approach. And it was there I experimented on myself to evolve. I focused my energy to unbound myself from such a small form, giving me such a glorious look. Then one day, I found company in the form of a little spider and her nest. Instead of running away, it sat by my side. It let me watch it's magnificent work of its web, and it clicked that it was like me. It was one of my own. A child of mine came to find me, to bring me to the surface. Needless to say, I was quite pleased to see the changes that were happening above. Humans. The greatest tools for experiments. And I got my result easily when my spider simply sat next to a human, who was big, muscly, and fearsome...and he cried and ran off at the sight of it. His whole village saw my spider and they ran away. Leaving it all to myself. So even then, my idea worked, for the more spiders came, the more people ran. I do push society in the right direction." Abyss explained, proud of what came for her after the destruction of the surface, eyeing Tikki and Plagg with her smile of superiority.

Both shook their heads.

"What you did not only scared people, it started wars. People died either by your manipulations or by your Ziszhui's hands. Such was the case that the Mage called upon us." Plagg said, his voice rising as he thought of the Mage himself.

"And thanks to him, we were told of what you were doing. He created the Miraculouses to help further strengthen our connection to reality and helped us find holders to fight you!" Tikki pointed out, though Abyss giggled.

"Yes and it got me closer to seeing what humans were made of. Very unique some of them were, but they lacked a lot as well." she said, thinking back to the many she killed either by sucking their insides out or crushing them like how they crushed her Ziszhui.

"Why hide away in here then? Lost your touch and many spiders or just learnt to keep away?" Adrien then asked as the webbed object gotten closer from above. Abyss sighed and gave him a glare.

"Your continent's two big wars in the twentieth century were what drove me away. There was too much going on that I couldn't take advantage of it. Of course, the Guardian temple here was destroyed in the eighteen hundreds, but it wasn't easy keeping a good enough grip on this place without the war impacting it. I only started emerging when your mother found me." she said to him, looking to Marinette as she let it settle into her that this was indeed the truth.

"So there you have it, Ladybug. Your precious little Tikki just didn't want to see things my way of guiding life. Fear has been a constant thing for your species and gave you the right direction. If only Tikki understood that, we wouldn't be here." she told Marinette, her voice sounding rather full of righteousness.

Marinette took all of this in with a mixture of emotions. While she found herself feeling even more scorn towards this sick spider-creature, she found herself fascinated and repulsed by everything she'd heard from Tikki and Plagg. The dinosaurs had all died because of a war between Abyss and the Kwami. She could imagine so easily that many scientists and palaeontologists would kill to learn such an earth-shattering discovery. It was also interesting to learn where the Miraculous had come from and this mage who had forged them sounded like an amazing person. If only this mage could be hear to help them now! But learning about Abyss and what a twisted freak she was, Marinette could hardly blame Tikki for wanting to keep quiet about her.

She was about to retort to Abyss, give her some long-winded lecture on how wrong she was but her attention was caught by the object that had finally finished lowering down from the ceiling. Adrien and Nathalie were the ones who got the biggest reaction, their eyes wide with a mixture of surprise, relief and dismay. There, webbed up before them like they were, was Emilie Agreste herself. At long last, Adrien was looking at his mother again. Seeing her felt like the biggest gift he'd ever received. She looked just like her pictures, beautiful and with the kind of face that showed love and kindness easily. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving, which gave Adrien and Nathalie something else to worry about.

"It's her...Emilie! At long last!" Nathalie gasped, "But..."

"You better not have killed her!" Adrien growled, hot tears welling up in his eyes, "If you've harmed her..."

"Hush boy, she's perfectly fine." Abyss snapped, running a hand down the unconscious woman's cheek, "Just sleeping like my other prisoner. You needn't worry about her, I've taken good care of her."

"I wouldn't exactly call webbing someone up and forcing them to sleep for your convenience "taking good care" of someone." Constantine retorted.

"I have my plans to carry out and the planet is due to change any moment now, so I once again am feeling generous enough to spare you adorable children your last precious moments alive to have a talk with the lovely Emilie." Abyss purred, ignoring Constantine's remark, "You can't say I'm without my nice moments."

"Albeit in a very twisted sense of the word." Adrien muttered.

"Why have you kept her here all this time?" Nathalie demanded, "What could she possibly have that could benefit you in anyway?"

"I'll let her explain that for you." Abyss purred, "Now darling Emilie, awaken." she whispered softly as if gently waking up a sleeping child, "You have visitors who are dying to meet you again..."

And with that, the Agreste woman's eyes snapped open suddenly and she let out a gasp of surprise. It had happened in the snap of a finger, just one minute she was asleep, the next she wasn't. Seeing her wake up gave Adrien an overwhelming feeling of relief and joy to see that not only was he looking at his mother again, but that she was alive and would be able to see him again too.

"Mom! Mom! Up here! It's me, Adrien!" Adrien cried out, "I'm here for you, and so is Nathalie!"

Emilie looked up and gasped in a mixture of surprise and horror. Of course she was over-the-moon to see her son again for the first time in ages but seeing him webbed up and a prisoner of Abyss like her hardly made this reunion feel pleasant. If anything, it was more like a cruel twist of the knife to her. It would've been kinder to have not seen Adrien here at all if she knew he was safe and away from this horrible creature. Her eyes filled with tears of joy, glad that she could at least see her son again in this terrible time.

"Oh Adrien, m-my boy!" she cried happily, "I-It's r-really you! I thought I'd never see you again after this monster snatched me away! And you've grown so much..."

Adrien couldn't help but smile slightly upon hearing her voice again. How long he had wanted to hear her again after all this time. He wished it was under better circumstances than this. But just hearing her was enough to send warmth running right through him. He gave her a nod "It's been a year, but I've grown up more ways than one! Mom, I-I...I missed you so much! I thought you left because I disappointed you or that dad scared you..." he trailed off, emotions rising all inside of him as he spoke to her again after such a long year.

Emilie felt tears run down her cheeks at this, sniffling as she took in her son's words.

"Oh Adrien...it could never be your fault! Your not a disappointment...I wish I was there for you, my sunshine. I thought I was protecting you by coming here, but...it was all a trap! A trap by this monster!" she yelled at Abyss, giving her a hard glare that looked like it would cut the Kwami into pieces, but she didn't look intimidated.

"Even worse is that...she made me watch, Adrien! She made me watch what your father did! What he done to you, to all those people he akumatized, how he gotten Chloe killed! Seeing how happy he was in doing those things made me sick...I wish I could've gotten out, come back and rescued you! Oh my love, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have come here!" she cried, her head hanging low as the tears fell from her face, guilt all over her as she finished, unable to look at her son, fearing he would be ashamed of her.

Adrien, though, didn't have that in the slightest. He looked gutted and devastated to see his mother in such a state. He wanted to reach out and hug her, be the supporting figure instead this time. It wasn't right for her to feel like this.

"Mom, don't blame yourself! It was Gabriel's fault! He could've gone for help but he chosen not to! It's his fault I suffered, not you!" he called, his voice full of confidence and strength in supporting his mother, who still couldn't look at him, guilt running right through her. He wasn't the only one offering support though, for Marinette, after watching in silent admiration at seeing the two have a long awaited conversation, spoken up.

"Adrien's right! I was there too, how he treated Adrien, he chose to do that himself, not You! We'll get out of this, Mrs Agreste!" she called to her, her voice rising in confidence, which only made Abyss giggle.

"Heh, my dear, you might've gotten out of tight situations before, but not this time. Not while I have Emilie and Duusu." she said smugly, getting sharp looks from the others, especially Tikki and Plagg, who finally grew their voices.

"What did you do!?" Tikki spat at her.

"Where's Duusu!?" Plagg yelled at her.

Abyss just giggled as she trailed her trailed her finger down Emilie's chest, where a certain object was located around her neck under the web, just visible to them.

"She's in there. Inside the Miraculous" she said sweetly, getting a gasp out of the Kwamis. Marinette and Adrien looked confused at this.

"What? How can Duusu be in there? She should be out if she's not being used!" Marinette stated, which gotten Emilie to slowly raise her head with a sad look on her face.

"She's in semi-use, my dear girl...when I got her, Abyss fused Duusu into her Miraculous and to her webs, which have been growing across the world the last year...Abyss had a seed planted in Paris to serve as a link to conquer the world from both sides with her Ziszhui, through Duusu's ability to help manifest other emotions, it'll be enough to cripple everyone with fear." she said glumly, her voice now nearly emotionless as she finished her words, leaving the others looking horrified.

Adrien and Nathalie felt both sick and disgusted that this is what Emilie had been subjected to this whole time. Not only had she been held prisoner, she'd been forced to participate in Abyss's goals! And if that wasn't enough, the spider-woman was attacking Paris with something they'd been completely unaware of this whole time!

"She planted a seed back home?!" Adrien exclaimed, his horror directed at the fact that not only had Abyss been ahead at the start by planning this, but that his mother had been used to help her carry out her wicked goals and make all this possible in the first place.

"Rena...Bunnyx...Carapace...Queen B!" Marinette cried in alarm, "They have no idea about any of this! They'll never be able to stop that seed from activating!"

"How right you are Ladybug." Abyss crowed, "It is already too late. The seed is active and my agent is already activating its power to spread through this miserable world and sow fear through every inch of every landscape! Fear will eclipse the entire planet and I, Abyss, shall be the Queen that rules over this world of terror!"

She laughed menacingly, her laugh the same sort of crazed, maniacal, gleeful laugh that signified everything was going her way and that she was in total control. Marinette and Adrien shuddered, the laugh reminding them bitterly of the Joker's in some way. Why is it all crazy people seemed to laugh the same way, even if they were abominations of nature like Abyss? Her cackling was cut short as Marinette cut in, keen to have the last say in this and to show that she wouldn't let fear overcome her, even if she was literally facing the master of it herself.

"No you won't!" Marinette declared hotly, "And I'll tell you why! We have friends back in Paris who will destroy your precious seed and stop your agent! And if that fails, there are far more powerful heroes than us like Wonder Woman, Superman or heck, the Justice League as a whole! If we don't stop you, THEY will! And also, don't you think you're shooting yourself in the...legs a little? I mean if you spread all this fear, won't you attract the attention of the Yellow Lanterns? Last I heard, they're masters of fear themselves! What if THEY decide to come and hijack your takeover scheme?"

For the first time since she'd met her, Abyss lost her smile. It was actually very jarring for Marinette to suddenly see this hideous woman without her grotesque grin. Now she suddenly wanted her to have it back as she looked even uglier without it. Abyss's red eyes narrowed into a scowl, not of anger but of annoyance. That was the worst part. Marinette thought she'd pinched a nerve in the spider-woman, something that would've satisfied her as she would've scored a point in some way. Instead, it looked as if she'd mildly irritated her, which made it less obvious what she would do next. Would she wave it off and laugh or violently lash out? It seemed in the end that Abyss decided to do a bit of both for she skittered over to Marinette and poked her cheek with a clawed finger. Then her smile returned, taking great pleasure as she drew her claw across Marinette's cheek. The baker girl screamed as a painful red line was drawn across her face, blood tickling from the cut she'd received. Tikki and Plagg winced uncomfortably and Adrien squirmed more violently than ever in his binds, keen to peel himself off the wall and deck the spider-woman for hurting his girl like that. Cackling with pleasure, Abyss licked the blood off her finger as Marinette gritted her teeth to try and hold in the pain.

"You have such spirit for a girl so scrawny and meek looking." Abyss purred, "I see why Adrien's adrenaline levels increase whenever anything untoward comes to you. Yes, I too am aware of the Yellow Lanterns dear, but don't think for a minute they'd be a match for me! I'd easily control the fear they control and turn it into power for my own use. I even wonder if the great Parallax himself would make me the new leader of the Yellow Lanterns in place of that arrogant fool Sinestro..."

"The thought of you in a Yellow Lantern suit is enough to make even ME sick." Constantine snorted.

"As for those so-called "other heroes" you speak of, they too will fall victim to my powers for I'll soon feast on their own fears and leave them helpless before me!" Abyss carried on, "I captured all of you didn't I and one of you is the most powerful Lantern that ever existed! And rather coincidentally enough, your "Superman" is currently engaged in battle with my agent though last I heard, he was actually losing. I'll see how he's doing now..."

Abyss then closed her eyes and touched the side of her head, opening up the telepathic link with Manchester Black again.

"Manchester, what is your status?" she demanded.

"Stalemate at the moment luv." Manchester replied, his voice so clear in her head that the two could've been conversing to each other in person, "Super-goodie and the teen-prats have run off with their tails between their legs and I can't go after them for one of the brats has shielded me and the Eiffel Tower in some big green energy barrier. I'd almost think he were a Green Lantern if he didn't have that silly turtle costume. Unless you can get me out of this luv, your seed's not going much further than the bottom of the Eiffel Tower."

Abyss surprisingly wasn't annoyed at this. She instead just flashed her fangs in a confident grin again as she replied to him.

"No need to worry on that Manchester, you'll be out of there in no time." she crooned, "I'll give you a boost that'll help you break down that barrier."

Abyss then turned to Emilie, lifting her head by her chin with just her finger. Emilie's face was tear stained, her eyes red from all the crying she'd done. There was no sympathy from the eyes of Abyss, who smiled darkly as her many eyes began to glow. Everyone felt their breathing halt as they saw the Miraculous hidden under the web begin to glow as Abyss drew her finger down to it. Its soft blue glow died down as the red began to overtake it, turning it into the colour Abyss was greatly associated with. Everyone watched as bright red lighting began to stretch out from Emilie's webbed trappings, seeing it began to cover the rest of the walls around them. Abyss smiled as she turned to the other trapped prisoners, seeing their struggles begin to stiffen as the red lighting began to come over their trappings, their bodies to locking up while their faces dropped in shock. It was then their eyes began to get covered by nothing but red, losing sight of the darkness around them. This caused Kagami to wake up, but she hardly took in the new prisoners for her eyes became as red as the others had. Even Tikki and Plagg lost sight, their own orbs now red and their faces lost in shock.

Abyss watched all around her as the whole underground began to lighten in such a colour. Gazing up at the ceiling, she was lost in her dreams as she could picture the world being written in her colour.

* * *

In Paris, Superman peeked his head out from around the corner, getting a look at the shielded Eiffel Tower. His super vision zoomed in on Manchester, getting a good look at him. The heroic alien could see he was looking very irritated, which left him feeling bright about what they were going to do next. Pulling his head back in, he looked to the rest of the French teens behind him, eyeing Bunnyx.

"He's looking frustrated, so that'll give us an opportunity to strike. Now when I get him through, Bunnyx, you keep clear and let Lila paralyse him with her Venom. You all gonna be okay with this?" he asked, his voice light with concern so as to make sure they were okay with this. He couldn't help but smile in admiration as they gave him a nod.

"Of course we are! Can't wait to see you fly his ass outta here!" Bunnyx said in excitement, raising her hand to begin drawing her rune to open the portal. Superman gave her a smile before looking to Rena Rouge and Carapace.

"Okay. Keep him busy, you two. Once he starts ranting, that'll be when Bunnyx opens the portal" he reminded them, getting a pistol and thumbs up gesture from Carapace.

"I can get him to lose it by just making some puns! Let's go, babe!" Carapace said brightly as he looked an arm around Rena Rouge's arm.

Both proudly strutted out from the corner, walking right up towards the Eiffel Tower with their eyes focused on Manchester as they neared it. They could see him looking down at them, and he clearly was looking eager to rip them to shreds. Carapace put his hands over his cheeks and yelled up at him.

"YO! DRUG LORD! ANYONE TOLD YA THAT YOU LOOK SOOOOOOO DATED!?"

Manchester frowned at him, not actually having heard him properly. He could just make out "dated". What was he getting at? Was he trying to ask who he dated? He groaned as he began to yell back.

"I DIDN'T HEAR YOU, YOU BLOOMIN TURTLE TWAT! DO YOU SURRENDER!?" he yelled back.

As soon as he said that, though, the Eiffel Tower's dark form began to light up in red with its main body looking as if it was starting to shed its skin as the liquid began to shift further up the tower. Manchester then felt his hands grip tighter on the handle as he felt his veins begin to glow red. If only Rena Rouge and Carapace saw this, for they still tried to yell back at him.

"SORRY, WE COULDN'T HEAR YOU! YOU LOST YOUR VOICE OR SOMETHING!" Rena yelled back.

From where he was, though, Superman was watching Manchester with his super vision and he could see very well something was going on with the tower. His eyes then turned to Manchester and his stomach twisted as he saw his eyes begin to glow. The same kind of light that was filling the tower. It didn't help he could feel the ground he was on starting to vibrate slightly, with the sound of the underground beginning to crunch and twist, all of which he could feel moving towards the tower. His eyes widened as he then realised what was about to happen, his hands losing grip on the wall as instincts kicked in.

"Oh no!"

In just a second, lots happened. Superman took off of his feet and sped out from the street corner, his eyes focussed on Rena Rouge and Carapace, his ears booming as the underground was ripping up from underneath, while the Eiffel Tower started to glow hard as it's darkness then shot up from the top and made a hit against the shield...

A crashing sound was heard as the dark red energy tore right through the shield. The gasps of Rena Rouge and Carapace hit Superman's ears as he grabbed them both, pulling them back as the shield vanished from where it was. Pulling them back, he and them watched in horror as the dark power began to form its tentacles again, but this time they planted all around the empty area instead of going after them. What made it more frightening this time was that the liquid form of the seed's powers began to flood right out from the tentacles' planted place, glowing across the area at a high speed, red glows filling the daylight from the liquid. Superman could only pull back faster as it began to pick up speed, with Manchester Black watched one with a grin, his eyes glowing as he then made contact with Abyss.

"Just in time, luv. Can't wait to see Super doofus submit to this new era. There's nothing he or these twits can do." he thanked the spider Kwami, who giggled.

"They all will, Manchester. They will now now that fear is key to power. Key to survive. Key to live. They are mine. Earth is mine. Just as it should be".

* * *

**_OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG_**_**OMG! THIS IS BAD, THIS IS SO, SO, SO BAD! Our heroes are trapped and our villains are close to victory! How will they possibly stop Abyss's plans when they're unable to fight back? Will the light of the White Lantern return in time to destroy Abyss's fear mongering plot? **_

_**Only way to find out is tune in next time as the stakes continue to grow!**_


	7. Chapter 6: Battle for Paris

_Chapter 6: Battle for Paris_

How things had suddenly been turned on its head. While Superman could move very fast, everything around him looked like it was moving so slowly. The flood left nothing untouched as it spread out from where the tentacles planted themselves, turning the bright pavements and the bottom of the colourful buildings into nothing but a dark stretch of liquid with red lighting beaming from its deepness. How much did the hero wish now he'd came here sooner to stop all this.

Rena Rouge and Carapace both looked shocked to see such a sight coming over their city. They were left speechless to see that such a dark sight as this was consuming everything of their homes. Carapace was very confused about this as well as upset. His shield could hold anything inside and out, yet here Manchester tore right through his shield with ease, now everyone was at risk of getting hit by whatever this thing was, and his shield couldn't hold it. He felt a swirl of heat turn inside his body as his eyes took in how fast this flood was going.

Superman was soon back by the street corner he left Bunnyx and Queen B at, using his hands to grab them by the scruff of their suits to lift them right into the air before the flood could get to them. Taking to the air, Superman lifted them high in the air so they could get a good enough look to see where best to go next. His eyes scoured around as a cold rush of fear ran through him as he could see this flood was going fast throughout Paris, and there was no limit to its rush. Keeping in mind of those he was carrying, he quickly spotted the rooftop of Bourgeois Hotel nearby, seeing the roof was flat for them to get on. Reaching over to it with a steady flight, Superman landed on the roof, gently putting the teen heroes onto the rooftop and releasing them from his grip. Their hearts racing hard, they ran to the edge of the roof to fully take it in on what was going on.

"Oh my god..." was all that Bunnyx could utter as they saw the flood continuing its onslaught throughout the city, with Queen B looking almost lost for words save for a question.

"Just...how the hell is he doing this!?" she almost shouted, nearly losing his grip on her sanity for what she was seeing while Superman looked to where the Eiffel Tower still stood, his eyes zooming in on Manchester as he saw his aura glow red.

He withheld a gasp as he saw Manchester begin to float from where he was on the tower and lowered himself to the ground, where he disappeared from Superman's sight until he used his x-ray vision to see through the building he landed behind. The grin on Manchester's face was full of twisted glee as he began to call out from where he was.

"C'mon, Supes mate! C'mon out and fight for the so called perfect world you think I'm trying to corrupt! Let's go at it again, the old Boy Scout up against the true modern hero! Let's see you try!" he yelled, his voice dripping with utter glee as to what he was daring Superman to do.

The heroic man in blue felt his face sharpen as he looked out to see how further the flood was getting. His ears rang as he heard the many cries of civilians getting blocked out by the flood as it began to penetrate their homes, taking them into its grip and trapping them. His heart raced as he saw the flood reaching the barricades set up by the police, who looked utterly confused and scared as to what they were facing. Even Roger, who had become more hardened in his recent experiences, looked confused as to what he was facing. He couldn't move fast enough to avoid the flood as it then swept over the barricades, crashing right on top of him and his officers. Their bodies were almost invisible even as Supes scanned for any sign of them under the liquid.

The sight of Paris being consumed by such darkness struck a fearful nerve in almost anyone who'd see this, and even Superman struggled to hide it. His stiffness was gone when Rena Rouge grabbed his arm, looking at him with a frightened look of her own. His eyes nearly went wide as he saw this, seeing how even she was struggling to take this in.

"Superman, we need to do something! We can't just stand here!" she yelled at him, her voice full of fright, thinking of what was happening to her family, how her little sisters were now or what became of her eldest and mother and father. Superman gave her a sharp look as he then floated off of the roof, beginning to fly towards the flood's direction.

"I'll try to drive the flood back! When I do, you rescue as many people as you can, get them to the nearest border!" he ordered, his voice full of seriousness as he then flew right after where the flood was going, his speed carrying him fast right over the long stretch of buildings and darkness to reach the clearest piece of land that had yet been hit by the flood.

Rena looked almost lost for words for a moment until it clicked into her that she needed to make a plan of her own for this. She eased her breathing and put aside her nerves, seeing that what mattered was the many people they could save, so she needed a clear head for this. Turning around to her friends, Rena saw they were looking uncertain of what to do now. She remembered how Ladybug and Superman did not let fear get the better of them and did what they could in this, and she had to bring their courage to her friends right now.

"Okay guys, I know it seems like it's doom and dark right now, but we still have a chance! Now Bunnyx, you can open more than one portal, right?" she said, her voice serious as she eyed the rabbit styled hero, who looked stunned for a second before nodding.

"Y-Yeah! I've been trying it more often lately." she said, wondering what Rena was getting at. A small smile came to her face as she then got hold of her shoulders.

"Sweet! Now, I need you to open up about four portals! One to the mayor's office, one to the border, one to Master Fu's, and one to the school! The rest of our friends evacuated there when Manchester arrived so we'll get them out quickly! Carapace, once you get Master Fu, get him to the border and create a big enough shield to cover the rest of the world, try and hold back this flood! Queen B, you get the mayor, I'll get to the school!" she ordered, her voice now full of confidence into what she just planned out.

Carapace looked unsure at first, that feeling still there in his stomach as he looked away.

"I'm not sure if it'll work, babe...this crap broke through my shield, I'm not sure if it'll protect them world from it." he said, not really hopeful at such use of a plan.

Rena gave her boyfriend a soft look as she walked up to him, seeing how much it hurt him to have watched the monstrous liquid get through his shield. She smiled as she took his hands in her own, making him look to her and saw that her eyes were full of utter warmth as she spoke to him, leaving his heart almost stuck in a heater.

"He just pulled a trick on you, honey. The next shield you'll make will be way more stronger than what he's thrown out at us now. If I know something, you'll do better, because you always do." she said, her voice full of utter belief in her boyfriend, who couldn't help but smile back at her, feeling her words hit his heart, which sent a warm feeling running through him.

Queen B, however, had her concerns when she spoke up.

"Sounds clever, but how many you think we'll save? This flood is nonstop!" she yelled, not liking the endless rush of waves hitting against the buildings around them. Rena have a look to where Superman flew off to, her head thinking over what he had planned.

"I think we'll get that covered soon." she said in a hard tone, ready to get to action.

Superman zipped right over to where he could see was a good bit of land that he could land on. As many people screamed and ran from the incoming flood, Superman put himself between them and the incoming darkness, which looked ready to devour him as it gotten closer. Only thing was, he had a plan in mind, and he knew it didn't involve having to throw his fists. But instead a good clap would do.

Stretching his arms out, Superman opened his hands and swung them forward to each other, causing a really loud, powerful clap to echo from the impact. If one were to look closely, they'd see the waves that shot out from his hands, rocketing right towards the dark flood in front of him. The fleeing civilians watched in shock as this action pushed the waves right back, as if a plaster was being unpeeled from a wound and being thrown away, leaving nothing but a fresh set of ground from where it once covered, sending it flying right back towards where it came from. But Superman wasn't staying where he was, for he then flew right after the liquid as it went right back towards its owner, who stood right in the middle of his empty dark area, watching on in shock as the waves came crashing right back on top of him. Manchester was soon knocked off his feet as it all hit him, burying him under its great mass and pushing him further into the ground.

Superman saw the work he had done but knew the flood would stretch back out. Not wanting that, the flying man let his ice breath unleash itself onto the swirling ball of liquid that had just come right on Manchester. His ice power spread right over the ball of liquid and was soon left was nothing but a giant ice ball that sat in the middle of Paris, leaving it contained for the moment.

This was seen by the teens on the rooftop, getting a grin out of Rena as she turned to her friends.

"There we go, let's start the evacuation right now!" she said, getting eager looks from her friends to go save the world.

Bunnyx obeyed, opening a portal to help get the Parisians out of the city and away from the darkness. Any civilians watching were spellbound by this magic act of a white circular hole just opening up in thin air in front of them. Nobody knew what to do at first until Rena called down to them.

"It's OK citizens! This portal will get you out of harm's way and to a safe place to stay until we can stop the chaos!" the vulpine heroine cried.

"Please go through it! It's for your own safety!" Bunnyx added, "If you don't, then we can't save all of you with the dark flood that's happening!"

Nobody was in the mood to argue or question the heroines. They wanted to be as far away from this horrific scene as possible so they'd do as they said for now. The Parisians all filed through the portals, a steady number heading through each the glowing white holes that Bunnyx had opened up for them. The evacuation was well under way and Rena allowed herself a rare moment to relax and feel good about the situation. It may well be a while until she could feel this way until this whole situation was over. She glanced over at the frozen dark mass, knowing that it wouldn't be contained for long. Whatever it was, at least nobody would be falling victim to it once the evacuation was finished.

"I hope we can stop that thing..." Rena Rouge murmured worriedly, still doubtful that it was possible to even stop it at all.

Meanwhile, Superman was keeping an eye out for any civilians that might still be in danger. He was glad to see that the Miraculers were carrying out the evacuations but he knew that people could still get left behind in these situations. It was always best to look out for any still lingering in these evacuation efforts. He noticed Roger, lying by the broken police barrier and shaking wildly as if he was on a vibrating chair that wouldn't stop. The Kryptonian flew down towards the officer and patted him softly on the shoulder.

"Sir, you have to get up." Superman said gently, "Everyone's clearing out of the city. You have to go too."

Roger either didn't hear Superman or was unable to do anything at all as he just lay where he was, trembling crazily and babbling uncontrollably.

"T-t-too...a-a-a-afraid...s-s-s-so s-s-scared..." he whimpered.

It was clear to Superman that this dark flood was amplifying Roger's fear tenfold and making him unable to move. Of course Manchester would carry out a scheme like this! He was one of those nutcases that believed fear was the way to control people! Superman wasn't going to leave Roger lying around so he helped him up onto his feet so he could get him evacuated as well.

He quickly flew Roger over to the portal and gently sent him through, making sure he was safe along with the others. Rena caught how scared Roger looked when Superman sent him through and this left her looking back at where the flood once was with worry.

"If he was left so frightened after getting hit by the flood, who knows how many others were there..." she wondered aloud as Superman shared her view, looking back to where he left the giant ice ball that was holding Manchester.

"I'd hate to imagine how many others are left paralysed by that thing he sent out. Bunnyx, you think you can create more portals but send them after as many people near where the flood was?" he asked, his voice sounding hopeful to what her answer would be.

Bunnyx gave him a smile as she opened her hands up and began to draw more runes to open more portals.

"As much as I can, Super-Sir!" she replied as many more began to open up all around her, silver blue glows casting their light around the city. Superman watched with some soft relief to see the portals begin to move forward and rounding up as many trapped civilians as they could, scooping them. The more people saved, the better.

Of course, this moment of relief was short lived for the Kryptonian, for his ears picked up to the sound of heavy crunching coming from within the ice ball he created to hold back the flood. His chest twisted slightly as he realised someone was getting his way out of there, which meant the flood would start speeding up again. He looked back to the gathered teens and lifted off from the ground.

"Make sure every last person is out of Paris! I'll hold him off!" he told them, before zipping right back to the ice ball, not wanting Manchester to continue with his plans.

"Okay, while the big guy keeps him busy, how about we get those other portals open, Buns?" Carapace asked, wanting to get the others out quickly. She gave him a nod as she opened up three more portals behind each of her friends, beaming.

"I'll do my best to keep these open. Be fast." she told him, which set them off with no further word, ready to go and evacuate the remainder of people that were still hiding.

Just shortly after Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen B disappeared, Tom and Sabine came running by, their faces full of shock as they reached Bunnyx, who looked stunned to see them.

"Oh, uh, you two made it, good! Get through now, no time to lose!" she said, ushering them towards another portal, but Tom was being too hard to push.

"But what about our daughter? Did she get through?" he asked, his voice full of worry as he faced the rabbit heroine, who held off a grimace as she quickly answered him.

"Yes! She made it through with her boyfriend! You'll have to find her among everyone else! Now quickly, go!" she ordered, giving him and Sabine another push through a portal, sending them out of Paris. She sighed miserably as her thoughts turned to Ladybug, worry on her mind.

"Oh Marinette, whatever you're doing now, you need to hurry up!" she said, not liking how they were gone for in Tibet. If only she knew...

Superman reached the ice ball in seconds and made a landing through the roof, chunks of ice crashing down into the empty white pit below, where he softly landed once he got inside. His eyes shifted as his x-ray vision came to life, scanning all around him to see any sign of Manchester.

He was caught off-guard as something shot out from nowhere and sent him hurling aside. Despite his enhanced strength and endurance, the blow was still enough to leave Superman reeling for a moment as he crashed down onto the pavement just beside the Notre Dame cathedral. He picked himself up and watched as the thing that had hit him rose up high and aimed at him. It was one of the tentacles that grew out of the black mass, massive in size as usual and ready to smash him into the pavement. Superman reacted quickly, firing his searing hot laser eyes at the tentacle and slicing it to pieces in seconds. The chunks of tentacle dissipated into puffs of smoke as they hit the ground. Superman flew up high again, wanting to resume his search for Manchester Black but he was caught off-guard as another tentacle shot up unexpectedly and punched him hard, throwing him straight up and leaving him to plummet straight down. Superman crashed hard, leaving a crater where he hit and groaning in pain. He shook it off quickly, standing up so shortly after he'd crashed that one would wonder if he was even hurt by the impact, simply brushing dust off himself as if this whole thing was a minor inconvenience.

He soon saw that his being hit by the tentacle again was a blessing in disguise as he had finally found the man he was looking for. Manchester Black stood before him, his smug face oozing confidence as he grinned deviously. The British metahuman didn't even seem worried that Superman was there and could easily grab him with no protection to keep him away. Superman was used to that look for Manchester was a man with an ego so big that Lex Luthor looked modest by comparison. He would take him out quick and put a stop to all this.

"Having a bit of trouble with my newfound abilities Super-pacifist?" Black taunted, "And here I thought you could handle anything. You're the Man of Steel aren't you?"

"Even a man of my power has his limits, as do you." Superman said sternly, "You won't spread that liquid any further than this city! You won't turn the world into a planet consumed by fear!"

He then lunged towards Manchester, only missing him by millimetres as the tattooed man suddenly flew out of his way. Manchester sneered at him, waving his finger while hovering above him.

"Aw, did you think you'd get me THAT easily?" he scoffed, "Did you forget I could fly as well? I sure hope you didn't forget I could do THIS as well!"

He then thrust his arms forward and tackled Superman with a powerful psychic blast. To Superman, it felt as if the air itself had balled its hand into a fist and uppercut him. His head snapped backwards and he was thrown off his feet. Superman grunted as he fell down on his back. Of course he hadn't forgotten Manchester could do that. Any psychokinetic with a sick mind like his could use his psychic powers to hurt his enemies in various ways. Unfortunately for him, it was worse than just simply hurting him. Superman picked himself up and massaged his temples. He opened his eyes...or at least he thought he did. Despite opening them, he suddenly found himself unable to see anything. The world had mysteriously become a blur to him, a mismatch of colours that didn't form any discernible shapes. He gasped.

"Ugh...what happened? I can't see!" Superman cried.

"Just gave you a psychic blast to the face Super-twat." Manchester sneered, "I doubt it'll blind you for life, I imagine it's only temporary but let's face it, you don't want to see what your demise is going to be. Consider it a mercy-kill that I robbed you of your sight so you don't have to witness how you're going to die!"

Superman couldn't even see the many dark figures that now surrounded him, all of the Ziszhui hissing in delight as their mouths watered. They brandished their weapons as Manchester Black floated back further inside the iced over centre of Paris, watching as the Ziszhui surrounded Superman like a hunting pack ready to eat their prey.

"Have him, lads! Make sure he screams!" he sneered as he watched them pounce on the blinded hero, who felt their bodies ram on top of his, nearly knocking him off his feet given their great weight and numbers. He winced as he tried to keep himself standing, hoping to hold out until his sight gotten back.

One of the Ziszhui pulled out its four swords and made a circular spin towards him from behind, hoping to cut the alien hero in half. Instead, its swords just completely shattered upon contact, sending shards of metal flying everywhere. It hissed questionably, but it was enough for Superman to throw his foot back and hit the Ziszhui right in the gut. He kicked it so hard that his foot drove right through it, killing it instantly. This alarmed the others that were on top of him, looking at the very death he just delivered with one kick from his foot. This was enough for Superman to grab two of the ones on his head and squeezed their legs hard, making them squeal in agony as he then took to the air and tossed them right into the wall of ice far around them, causing them to explode in chunks of guts.

He was still blind though and this caused the rest of the Ziszhui on the ground to fire their webs up at the flying hero, getting hold of his feet. His confused and blinded stare was enough for them to pull him down into the ground right on his face, getting a grunt out of him. Manchester just smirked as he saw them web his hands up and held them to the floor, allowing him to walk over calmly to the downed Kryptonian, who groaned as he tried to focus on his sight.

"Face it, big man. The world's new era is coming in now, and you'll be in the ground by then. Just let it consume you." he said coldly as the dark liquid began to rise up from within the cracks of the ice, coming up fast to flood the inner surface of the iced off Paris street.

Manchester turned from the struggling hero back to the four large tentacles that had gotten free of the ice that held them. He gave them a grin as he shot his hands out. In response, the tentacles shot out through the iced prison they were confined in, reaching back outside into the daytime, where they planted themselves right into the roads, where they began to unleash their flood again.

Superman grunted as he felt the liquid reach his legs. It was cold, more cold than the Arctic winds, only it felt like it was really trying to bite into him. His head shot forward in pain as the cold began to eat through him, the water thickening as it began to cover his body. He never felt such a thing in a long while. It was like he was feeling the whole dark confines of his inner self begin to push their way to his head. The emotions he long had, of light, kindness, love and strength, were getting consumed by this bitter cold. All of those emotions he had for they were genuine, towards the world and to the people he loved. His parents, his wife, his son...the thought of them getting consumed was enough for a searing heat to come over his eyes. He might've been blind, but it didn't block his heat vision.

The cold melted from his body as his eyes opened fired down onto the restraints that had formed over him, burning them away from his body, which he began to lift with slight ease, reaching his hands to his back and tearing off the last of the liquid that had gripped him, causing it to disperse into smoke.

Manchester turned up in hearing this, the alarm in his eyes clear and a look of utter shock on his face was enough to make you think he wet himself for Superman was standing there, tall and ready for a fight. Even the Ziszhui looked shocked at this, staring at him in utter awe and confusion as to how he managed to get free of their grip. But Manchester noticed he was still blind, and this left him with an advantage, so he began to float around Superman, who began to talk.

"You think I'll ever submit to a monster who murdered his own father? You think I'll let fear conquer the lives of those who live in this world? I'll never do that, Manchester, not while I breathe. And if there's something I value more than anything, it's the lives of those around us. They are what are important." he said, his voice full of confidence as he lowered his head. Manchester breathed in annoyance, getting angry that the hero just wouldn't stop talking and how he wouldn't stop ranting his ideology. It infuriated him that much that Manchester went to punch him the closer he got, hoping to knock him out...

He ended up gasping as Superman raised his hand and caught his fist, his head still low despite this action. Manchester was almost lost from his emotions as Superman spoke again.

"And case in point: a blind person doesn't lose their hearing." he said, strong with his words as he then pulled Manchester towards him and shot his other hand right into his face, sending the Brit flying right through the Ziszhui that was behind him, getting covered in their guts as he was sent crashing into the wall behind him, crying out as pain tore right through his back.

Superman blinked and the clear white surface of the ice returned to his eyes, which returned to their normal colour, the effect of Manchester's power now gone from him. He turned to where the impact was made, where he could see the British villain trying to pick himself back up. The Ziszhui around Superman began to retreat as he lifted himself into the air, looking right at Manchester. He said no more words as he then rocketed right to Manchester, who didn't have time to blink as the flying man ploughed right into him, their fight now getting vicious. Superman was determined to get Manchester down, hoping it would do something to stop the new flood that was now overtaking Paris...

* * *

Master Fu was greatly frustrated when looking out of the window of his home.

The Asian man had spent a long time in Paris and had loved the beautiful sights he would see every day he looked out his windows. To see the city falling victim to the dark powers of Abyss made him sick to his stomach. Watching a city as beautiful as Paris become overrun by this fear-inducing black ooze was worse than watching Hawk Moth akumatize any of his victims he'd corrupted in the past, worse than having to deal with Grail and especially worse than the fear of Paris being corrupted by a villainous organization like the Light. It was especially heart-breaking for Fu to watch for this madness was being initiated by a rogue Kwami, the very species he was the guardian of. It would be like an army general watching some insidious terrorist attack be carried out by one of his own, a more devastating and gut-punching blow than anything in the world. He'd hoped he would never have to face Abyss and whatever scheme she had in mind but now was unfortunately the time he would have to do so. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed heavily.

"I cannot stand by and let this madness continue. Abyss must be stopped, no matter the cost..." Master Fu said grimly.

He was in so much deep thought that he didn't notice Carapace coming through a portal Bunnyx made for him to get through. Nooroo flew over to the turtle hero, his eyes full of worry.

"We can see what's going on! What's the plan now?" he asked him. Carapace cupped him in his hands and gave him a soft look.

"Evacuating as many people as we can, lil guy! We need to get everything of importance and leave now!" he said, running towards Master Fu to pick him up and carry him through.

Instead, though, he came to a stop when Master Fu held his hand out, a large huff of breath escaping him that was loud enough to tell Carapace the old man was not in the mood. He stared at him, watching as his head lowered when he began to turn around, with Nooroo's face looking nervous as he saw the bitter expression on his face. It was so unlike the old man to have such a look on him, but it was enough to tell them both this was big.

"I'm not leaving." Master Fu stated, his words hard as he looked at Carapace and Nooroo, who looked at him like he grew another head.

Carapace waved his hand to the window as the flood began to retake the streets.

"Dude! The flood will bring down your house if we don't go! You need to leave!" he argued to the old man, who looked uninterested in such protests from Carapace.

He walked right up to the green hero and took hold of his arms, giving him a hard look in the eyes.

"Nino, I have spent my life running away, I ran from the destruction I left in Tibet, I ran when the Nazis invaded, and look what happened. I lost Nooroo and Duusu, Gabriel abused Nooroo's powers, the Nazis did so much unspeakable things while I ran away. I can't run anymore, not when this is all partly my fault. I need to stand with you and help. Even if you tried to push me through, I won't go. I'm staying to help you." he said, his voice clear in what he was saying, standing straight as he put this all out to Carapace, who couldn't help but smile at him, seeing how determined he was staying to fight.

"I don't blame ya for wanting to help. But I'm not sure how you can." he said, his voice being careful so to not insult the old man.

Of course, in this case, they nearly forgot about the Kwami that was with them, who listened to everything Master Fu just said right in front of him. Nooroo couldn't help but feel a swirl of energy form inside of him. His face felt it strengthen his look. He then floated right off of Carapace's hands, stunning him as he then watched him sit on Master Fu's shoulder, the old man looking stunned by his action as well.

"He'll get his help from me." he stated, a confident look on his face at this. Carapace looked nervous at this before looking back at Master Fu.

"I'm not sure about this, you're like, ancient dude! Won't this kill you!?" he yelled, not liking the idea of putting him at risk. Nooroo ended up answering this though, his voice hard.

"He'll be okay as long as he keeps his distance. But I want to do more to help. I helped stop Joker but I feel I haven't done enough. If the master desires to help us now, then consider him and I joined up." he said, not wanting anymore arguing with the young hero, who looked at them both in disbelief. He could see the slight push of Master Fu's moustache to see he was smiling, which Carapace himself often had when he felt daring.

He sighed and lowered his body, looking defeated.

"Okay! You win! But what are you gonna do?" he asked as he stood back up, seeing the Asian man was now thinking away of what to do. He led Carapace towards the table in the middle of the room, where the Miraculous book and Butterfly Miraculous sat. Master Fu opened the book to the page where details of this Miraculous was, the eyes of the turtle hero following him when he started reading.

"As you've seen with Ladybug and Chat Noir, they've accessed more abilities with their powers. If I can find it in here, I can access more abilities with the Butterfly one." he said as he read over the text, his eyes going narrow as he read back over the list of abilities. Nooroo could see something though, and it wasn't what Master Fu was looking at. He grabbed Master Fu's hand and then guided him back to the main text, where he began reading it out to him.

"The Butterfly Miraculous serves a limited amount of multitude of purposes, for like a butterfly, its limited to what its wings can carry." he read to them, his voice light as he did so, smiling to what he said. Master Fu looked confused with Carapace, not getting it, leaving Nooroo to giggle at them.

"It's there in front of you! There are different ways of calling out the name to transform! Gabriel called for Dark Wings, Emilie called for Light Wings. In this text, there's a hidden call out: Nooroo, Multi Wings Rise. And with Multi, you know what comes with that." he said with a wink, seeing it hit them there.

Master Fu and Carapace looked stunned at this and gave Nooroo a grin, with Carapace giving him a finger bump.

"Now that is one hell of an expert eye right there!" he said, getting a giggle out of the Kwami while Master Fu gave him a knowing look.

"No wonder Gabriel didn't gain more Akumas. Clever of you Nooroo...Nino, where did the others go?" he asked him, his mind forming an idea right there. Carapace looked uncertain of what this meant at first.

"At the school, our friends usually hide there if there's something going on...wait, you mean...?"

It hit him what Master Fu was getting at, a grin coming over his face as he looked at the old man, who smiled.

"Give your lover a call. She needs to keep them there".

It was all that Carapace needed to hear, getting his comm out to start the call.

For Rena Rouge, coming into the school during such a time of crisis was almost normal for her. Except this time she had to be the one to keep everything under control, for she found her class of friends all locked into their classroom, every one of them looking nervous and too scared to even move, barely even registering the foxy heroine's entrance when she came through the portal. Her face looked pained as she saw the whole class looking like this, for she understood what this incident must be doing to their heads with their last lot of abductions and brainwashing. Yet she couldn't just leave them here, so she made herself known.

"Guys? Hey, look, Rena Rouge here!" she called, getting them all to turn their heads at her, Mylene hugging closely to Ivan, Sabrina clutching hold of her bag for dear life, Rose looked hopeless despite Juleka trying to ease her fear by rubbing her back, Kim looked like he lost his bravado as he just had his head hanging low, while Nathanael and Max were just holding their heads in their hands. Rena now felt more pressure come onto her at this.

"Listen, you need to get up and come through now, the portal will get you to the safe zone. Get yourselves up!" she urged, pointing to the portal behind her.

Everyone looked reluctant, though it didn't stop Kim from voicing his fears.

"What's the point, foxy? With how fast that flood is coming, what's to say the whole world is gonna get flooded!?" he yelled, his hands waving frantically to her, making her wince as she felt his voice hitting her hard.

"This'll kill us all..." Rose muttered, tears beginning to run down her face as more sourness risen in her.

Rena really felt gutted to see her friends reduced to this and she stood there for a moment with uncertainty of how else to approach them. She couldn't risk pushing them because she knew they'd react pretty irrationally.

It was then that Queen B then jumped through the portal, looking to Rena Rouge.

"Okay, just got the mayor out with a few ambassadors, need a hand in getting these guys out?" she asked the fox like heroine, who looked unsure.

"Unless you wanna loop them up on your spinning top and throw them to the portal, I'm not sure what else you can do." she said with deep uncertainty over what to do next, really not wanting to use psychical force as a last resort.

Her worries were then put to rest when her flute bleeped, making her open it up to find the face of her boyfriend on the screen of her weapon. The look on his face was that of a barely contained excitement, like he was just given the best gift he could get. This gotten a raised look from Rena Rouge, who asked him.

"Carapace? What's up with the smile?" she said, not getting why there was such a look on him.

"Oh babe, you gotta keep the guys there! We're coming through with a plan, you'll love it!" he said before turning off from his end, leaving her and Queen B confused for a second over what to get from him in the next few seconds.

Those few seconds came by when they heard a set of footsteps coming through the portal, making them look back to see Carapace coming through, looking really happy with what he just achieved just now. Rena folded her arms in slight anticipation while giving him a look.

"What's the plan then, Carapace? You said "We're coming through" so who do you mean by that?" she asked in a sharp tone, hoping this wasn't a joke. He continued to smile as he put his fists to his hips.

"We got a new friend. Well, he's already our friend, but he's getting involved now." he said in pride as footsteps were heard coming after him through the portal, letting them look to it to see who it was that was coming. The two girls couldn't hold back their gasps when the new one came through.

In his new look stood a familiar short Asian man dressed in purple and black, a purple tunic reaching down to his hips with a lighter sash around his waist, matching gloves and a familiar Miraculous sitting on his neck. In his hand was a cane with a purple jewel on top of it, while covering his face was a silver domino mask. His appearance picked up the attention of the rest of the class, who stood up with a look of confusion as they saw him. He gave them all a slight now as Rena Rouge and Queen B realised who this was, looking at him in confusion.

"Wait...no way! Y-you!?" Rena exclaimed at him, getting a giggle from him.

"Yes it is. I couldn't stand back any longer, my dear girl. So I'm here to help." he greeted warmly, looking over to the rest of the class.

Kim didn't like the looks of this.

"Hey, you're wearing that butterfly thingy that Hawk Moth used! Is this some team up between the hero and villain?" he asked in a form of scepticism, only to get a wave from Carapace.

"Not like that, my dude! Ladybug gave it to him for safekeeping and he's here to give you some motivation!" he said in excitement, standing with the new Miraculer with his eyes beaming.

"What's an old man gonna do to help though?" Nathanael asked, still not looking convinced.

Giggling, the elder user stepped forward with a smile.

"My age might limit me from fighting, but I can still use the power of this Miraculous to better use. I am Hudie, consider me the good that Hawk Moth never used. So consider my desire for you a redemption for both your actions under his control and his handling of this Miraculous." he told them, his voice full of wisdom and softness as he held a hand out to them, giving them that lifeline that needed.

The students still looked unsure on this, though some of them looked only a little hopeful to what he said. Ivan then stepped up, his face looking more harder with determination.

"So you're saying you can get us to help with the problems going on?" he wanted to be sure with where this was going. He gotten an understanding nod from the purple styled hero.

"Yes. All of you have much to offer, I recognise that in all of you. You're all strong and talented in your own way, plus you've been brave in similar situations. Strong hearts is what I see in front of me. You don't want to give up and give into fear, do you? You see it in yourselves to help?" he questioned the teenager, who gave a look to his classmates in wanting an answer.

It was slow to start, but slowly, each class member stepped up, looking somewhat courageous with this, growing in them when Juleka spoke up, holding her girlfriend's hand.

"I...I didn't think I'd ever get to fight, none of us did. But we've always ran away and comforted each other while Ladybug and her friends put themselves at risk every time for us. We should start returning the favour." she said, giving warmth with her words as she sent them to everyone, giving Rose a smile that ended up melting her in a way. Nathanael looked to his art book and remembered everything he use to draw in there, how he once saw himself as a hero but ended up being the villain. He'd love to have that chance now.

"It's better to be a hero than be a deserter. So count me in." he said in eagerness, getting a warm smile from the rest of his friends.

"I might not be much of a fighter, but my other talents can help out." Max said, rising to meet with the offer. Mylene hugged closely to Ivan, a look of bravery in her eyes, sharing it with him. Kim sighed but grinned, raising his fists.

"Gotta show my worth! Give us what you got, old guy!" he demanded, ready for what was to come next.

Hudie smiled while Rena gave her boyfriend a similar look, a hint of pride in her eyes as she showed her impressed face to him for helping in this idea. He gave her a wink as Hudie then closed his eyes, holding his cane with both hands. He placed it onto the ground and hummed softly, easing his emotions to focus. He then spoke with great softness that you'd wonder who would've heard him.

"Tenshis, I summon you all to bring light and strength to these souls. Give them their finest looks, power but strengthen their hearts."

Following this command, flapping from behind the portal was in everyone's ears, getting louder as little figures began to come right through it...

* * *

Back at where the Eiffel Tower was, partially covered by the ice ball, Superman was still fighting Manchester Black, who was now forming shields of the dark liquid to protect himself from the punches the powerful hero was throwing at him. Each hit he took, however, sent him flying like he was a punchbag being thrown across the area. He was trying to think fast on his feet as he tried to avoid crashing into anything, but trying to counter Superman at high speeds was like trying to catch a bullet being fired around him.

He ended up getting hit from above when Superman punched his dark shield that ended up sending crashing to the road below. He turned himself to try and face his legs down to the ground but it was turning out to be difficult to do. However, his eyes caught sight that the road was actually covered by the flood, speeding back out. His face turned into a twisted smile as he reached his hand out and a swirl of the dark liquid came rushing him towards him. It wrapped around his hand and brought him to a stop, twisting his body around the liquid that had constructed itself, planting his feet right onto its body and put himself into a sitting position.

His construct aimed up, he saw Superman coming at him from above. His aura swirled as it slipped into the construct, which glowed a bleak red colour as it then began to shoot up at great speed, lightning zapping out of its form the sooner it got close to Superman, who was hit in the chest by the blast. He grunted in pain as it brought him out of the air, sending him crashing towards the ground with chunks of ice shooting up in the air from the landing he made. Manchester chuckled as he saw Superman picking himself up, seeing him trying to recover from the hit. Bunnyx could see this from where she was, getting the last people through the portals, leaving her nervous as the flood began to reach her. She felt her stomach twist as she saw many Ziszhui begin to crawl out of the ice ball, rushing after Superman while he found his feet.

Bunnyx turned to the last people running through the portal, seeing they were now out of the danger zone. This meant she had to change things up now, before the flood could reach her. She hardened her face as she faced the flood, her portals gathered in a straight line.

"Okay...here we go." she said to herself, closing her eyes as she opened her hands, drawing runes from them in a pattern that saw her portals begin to turn while another appeared behind her.

She could feel its beams pushing into her back, giving her time to step back inside it, where she heard the sound of water getting fainter as she exited the new portal. Her eyes opened to find she was now back on the rooftop, giving her a look to see what her work was doing.

She saw the dark flood running right into her portals, which took them in with ease and kept on going at it, getting her to smile.

"Done it. I gotten them to reopen to a empty form of space to drop it into. Should give Nino time to form a shield." she said to herself before glancing to where Superman was, her fists clenching.

"Need to help him now." she said, ready to give him help.

Yet just as she was about to move, the rabbit styled hero gotten a bleep from her pocket. Frowning, she pulled out her Miraculous, opening it to find Rena's face in the screen.

"Buns, get a portal open now!" she ordered, getting a confused look from her.

"You sure? This guy will be hard work for us" she said, only to get a smile from Rena.

"Get it open, girl. You're in for a treat." she responded.

Down in the partially flooded road, Superman stood up from where he landed. He didn't need to turn to hear the massive amount of Ziszhui coming towards him. Didn't stop him though, his eyes glowing red as heat ran through his head, turning to the huge army coming at him. His eyes fired, turning each of the spider warriors to ashes with a single clean blast from his eyes. The first five waves of the army was turned to nothing from him, but this was cut short as Manchester then wrapped a construct of the liquid around his leg and pulled him back, throwing him down onto the ground behind the leather coated man, but this didn't stop Superman from tearing the construct off and throwing it aside, standing up to face Manchester as he turned to face him. The old enemy of Superman smirked as he was feeling the growing number of his army right behind him, feeling his power rise with his wit. Superman watched on as many more of the Ziszhui came to gather around Manchester, feeling a slight form of worry coming over him. He could handle them, he just didn't know if he could stop all of them, that was what worried him.

"Now would you look at this, mate, a whole army against you. You might be the world's strongest man but I know you won't last long. Where's the teens? Ran off? Your other mates ran from you, leaving this to you. You're weak and alone." Manchester said with glee, feeling like he had him in his grip. Superman just huffed in annoyance at the man's bragging, sad that he didn't accept the help offered to him when he got him locked up.

Before he could respond to him, though, Superman was stunned as something whizzed right past him and then hit Manchester right in the stomach. His eyes went wide and he was sent staggering back from the hit. Silence filled the air as Superman zoomed his eyes in on what hit him, with Manchester nervously grabbing the weapon. As soon as he did, it then popped and made him wince in pain, his body flashing in red sparks. He fell to his knees in pain as he felt the sparks bite into him, heat running through his body at getting this. The last bite felt like a stab, leaving him wincing to bite back crying in pain.

His face was filled rage as he looked up to see who shot him, looking onto the portal that had opened behind Superman, who picked up what had opened behind him. He turned to see there was indeed a portal, but who he saw had come through left him in awe as he saw it wasn't who he thought it was.

Standing there was Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen B, Bunnyx and Hudie...who were joined by many other colourful heroes.

There was Ivan, covered in rock like armour that looked more human compared to his Akumatised form, his face obscured by the knight like armour that protected his face, his hands huge while a skull carving was in his chest. Next to him was Mylene, who's skin was a light purple, a yellow orb in the middle of her chest while her headscarf now looked to be a laser canon of sorts over her head. Standing with them was one who looked similar to the Evilustrator, only his face was now a normal skin colour, his hair was spiked up over his head, while his forearms were covered in purple gloves, his legs the same colour. Rose stood next to him, only her dress was a mix of purple and pink while her skin was normal, sitting in her chest was a few symbols of plant elements. Juleka stood in a dark version of her Akuma dress, her hands glowing slightly while her skirt looked more sharper, her head normal. Max stood there with a look similar to his Gamer outfit, only his glasses fully covered his eyes and he was wearing a gauntlet on his wrist. Sabrina was partially there, her body glowing in slight sparkles. Kim was there, having shot Manchester with his gauntlets that fired the arrows, light wings spread from his back while his suit was white and red. He grinned seeing he hit Manchester, who snarled as they joined Superman's side.

"I saved Superman's life! That I've gotta keep telling myself!" Lightwing said, giving Superman a pat on the arm. He couldn't help but give the winged teen a smile before looking to Rena Rouge, who had a bright look in her eyes as she joined him.

"You're not in this alone, Superman. Let's teach this loser a lesson." she said, her flute ready as she faced Manchester, who growled as he stood back up. He looked like he was about to yell his face off, his body's aura lighting up in rage. The newly gathered heroes didn't look nervous. They faced enough monsters to finally get use to such horrors. Now was the time to stop it themselves.

Manchester said nothing but yell in anger. Floating off his feet, he took off towards them, his Ziszhui following after them. Superman responded by flying from his feet, the teens following after him, heat running right through them as they braced themselves for the biggest fight they were up against. Hudie knew this was a fight he was not going to lose. He wanted to see it to the end. For the time was not to run away. It was time to fight. He was doing it beside everyone who now wanted to fight instead of running. He was proud to do this. It was time for the dark to meet its end. The Butterfly Miraculous hummed in eagerness, ready to bring the fight for the innocent.

* * *

**_Looks like Superman and the Miraculers have got all the help they can get! Manchester Black will be as good as defeated...or will he? Will these heroes be enough? And what about over in Tibet? Marinette and her friends are still in trouble so it's not over yet! Will Abyss have another trick up her sleeve to make this all meaningless in the end?_**

**_Tune in next time as the battle to save the world continues..._**


	8. Chapter 7: Escape

_Chapter 7: Escape_

This was it. For a few moments time had slowed down for everyone that was charging towards the dark army of the Ziszhui. Hearts beated loud in their ears as they realised this was it, fighting to the death, for the freedom of their home, and the safety of the world. Hudie himself, while keeping to the side of the charging heroes, felt a huge rush of energy going through him for the first time since the Second World War. He felt glad to have this feeling again, especially now that it felt like it was for the right thing.

Those slow seconds ended quickly for the closer they got, that's when they decided to show off their powers. They knew what to do, thanks to the instructions Hudie put to them when he placed a Tenshi on all of them.

Skullstone, Ivan's new form, went first. He threw himself ahead of everyone and roared like a beast, his large hands growing in great size to that of boulders. He slammed them down onto the ground right in front of him, which caused a loud eruption of sorts to occur from below. The ground ripped up right in front of them, towers of rock and stone shooting up like missiles from the ground under the Ziszhui's feet, crushing and smashing those that were caught in the gaps, turned to mush by the hard surface of the rocks, splitting the army in half from each other as blood of their guts rained up in their comrades. Those that were closest to Skullstone charged at him, their swords swinging right at him to cut him down out of anger for destroying their soldiers. He just stood there as the Ziszhui slashed their blades at him, only for them to snap like twigs upon hitting his skin, which didn't react or suffer a cut from their swords. Skullstone raised his boulder sized hands and smashed them towards each other, catching the Ziszhui in between them and causing their heads to explode upon contacting them, making their bodies lifelessly drop to the ground in front of him. He grinned under his mask.

"This is how you deal with spiders." he said in pride, readying his fists for the next lot to come at him.

Superman chose not to attack Manchester in the charge but instead zipped around him, confusing the Brit villain long enough for Superman to launch his attack on the army, soaring down with his hands curled into balls of fists, focusing his strength into them the closer he got to the dark covered ground. The Ziszhui didn't react fast enough as he slammed into the ground, his two fists sending out a loud thunderous force over the ground, which sunk beneath him, the shockwave causing the army of spider warriors to get sent flying onto their backs from a hit that powerful. This left them open for the new heroes to fully step in.

Morpher, Mylene's new form, kept running right towards them before she then threw herself towards her rock like boyfriend, spinning around in midair and morphing herself into a ball of large pink energy. Skullstone grabbed her with his hand and threw her out like a wrecking ball, watching as she zipped right through the wounded Ziszhui's, her ball form leaving them covered in pink thick slime that stiffened their movements, causing them to get stuck to the ground. Morpher uncurled herself back into her normal form, only to find herself surrounded by some really angry Ziszhui, baring their blades at her. Instead, though, they lost their anger as her head canon then brightened up in energy. They lost their sight once the canon fired, covering them all in the same slime she left the others covered in, leaving them stuck to the ground, unable to move.

That was when Beamer, Juleka's new form, stepped in. Standing on one foot, she smiled as she spun on that one foot and began to tear across the battlefield like a dagger that was spun right through the air, her skirt lifting up with glows of green sparking from its sharpened ends. The closer she gotten to the group of Ziszhui she was nearing, the faster she got. They tried to fire their webs at her but she easily dodged their hits, before zipping against them, causing them to cry out in agony as they were separated from their main bodies, making them drop to the ground.

"I dunno about anyone else but I definitely like this a lot more than being an akuma villain." Beamer said to herself.

Petala, Rose's Tenshi form, was setting an example of what a heroic version of Poison Ivy would be like. As several Ziszhui came skittering towards her with their fangs bared and swords brandished high, ready to slice her apart, she raised her arms and summoned a giant Venus flytrap from right underneath them. The huge plant snatched the spider-creatures up in its jaws and crunched them to pieces with ease. Petala looked away as the Ziszhui were eaten alive, finding the sight a little too gross to watch. Another Ziszhui snuck up behind her but Petala heard it skittering towards her so she turned around and held her arm out. A vine grew out of her arm and wrapped around the Ziszhui and constricted it tightly. The arachnid monster hissed feebly, clawing at the air as it struggled to breathe. Then Petala grabbed the fine with both hands and swung the entwined Ziszhui around and around like a club. She let go, sending it flying through the air and crashing into another Ziszhui that was fighting Beamer. The two creatures were knocked down, leaving Beamer open to finish them off by turning them to stone with a beam from her hands. Skullstone finished them completely by smashing the stone Ziszhui to pieces, their fragments dissipating into puffs of smoke. Beamer waved graciously over to Petala.

"Thanks for that sweetie!" she called.

"Aww, you're welcome!" Petala cried back, awed by her love's compliment.

There were three Ziszhui who were having trouble fighting their opponent. It wasn't necessarily that the opponent was really powerful, but because they couldn't even see their opponent. They were up against Sabrina, who was now the Tenshi-powered hero, Spark. Like her akuma form, she could turn invisible and the spectacled girl smirked to herself as the spider-creatures looked around in confusion, unable to find her anywhere. If they could see her now, they'd notice she was actually standing right in the middle of them. She launched her ambush, unleashing a dazzling flash of light from her body. It was mostly white with some other colours sparkling in the centre but nobody would've been able to see that as it was too bright to look at. The Ziszhui screeched loudly and clutched their eyes, feeling like they'd been scorched by the light. They were completely blinded, the light having done colossal damage to their eyes. Spark beamed with delight, glad to see her power worked brilliantly. This was much more fun than being the akumatized Vanisher! While the three arachnids couldn't see, Sabrina kicked one of them in the face so she could make it drop its swords. She grabbed two of the swords and sliced it in half, watching the spider's torso fall away from its legs. She quickly cut down the other two before they could realize what was happening. Keen to exploit her abilities again, she turned invisible and snuck around looking for more unfortunate Ziszhui to creep up on.

Meanwhile, Lightwing and Super Nathan, the Tenshi form of Nathanael, were teaming up together to fight a bunch of Ziszhui that were advancing towards them, their fangs streaming with saliva as they longed to feast on them. Lightwing fired numerous arrows from his wrist gauntlets while Super Nathan drew himself a pair of pistols that fired energy beams to shoot the Ziszhui down, making sure every shot he fired was aimed at the head to guarantee instant death for them. This combination of arrows and energy bolts allowed the duo to mow down the oncoming spider minions with ease, although they would continuously respawn and come back for more. Lightwing noticed this and grunted.

"We can't keep this up forever! They just keep coming!" the archer hero muttered.

"I'll see if I can draw something that'll help us out some more." Super Nathan suggested.

Then he thought about something. What was it he once tried to do to Chloe when he was akumatized? What was the most common way to kill spiders? Yes, that would do! Acting fast, Super Nathan worked away with his artistic skills as he drew a giant foot to squash the Ziszhui with. Up above, a trainer that was so big it could flatten a house magically appeared and Super Nathan brought it straight down on the Ziszhui, crushing them instantly and reducing them to bloody smears on the ground. Lightwing grimaced, half-chuckling at what had happened.

"Ooooh, that HAD to hurt!" he crowed, "Nice on Nathanael!"

"A great artist makes use of his work." Super Nathan replied modestly.

Techno, Max's new heroic form, chuckled as he then smoothly walked past them, bearing his gauntlet on his right hand.

"Heh heh, ohhhhhh guys, you have nothing on this masterful piece of technology in my hand right here!" he said gleefully as he then turned a dial on the gauntlet, an image switching to that of a bulky figure. A green glow shot all over his body, causing Lightwing and Super Nathan to step back in shock as they heard the whirls and clicks of mechanics coming from his body. They watched in amazement as Techno grew in size with metal armour covering him. Their heads turned further up as he grew to the size of a giant, almost as tall as the hotel.

Standing there was a robot, a visor covering its face where Techno sat, two bat like ears poking up from its head, a huge arc reactor in its chest that glowed a soft green, while his colour scheme was that of light green and red. He reached one hand behind his back, pulling out a purple blade that let off a slight green aura, aiming it at the incoming Ziszhui. Lightwing couldn't help but grin.

"Now that's my bro right there! Give it to them!" He ordered.

Techno in his robot gave Lightwing a smile before he swung his huge blade down at the incoming number of Ziszhui, turning them to huge chunks of guts with a single whack from his sword, wiping half of them off of the battlefield in an instant. He spotted a few survivors, so he decided to make short work of them by leaping forward and stamping right on them, flattening them in an instant and causing a huge plume of smoke to burst around him, consuming the others that were around his feet. Super Nathan then drew out something beneath his feet, resembling that of a skateboard, only to add a pair of rocket engines to the back of it before drawing himself a black and white sword. He gave Lightwing a smile as he saw his wings carry him to the air.

"Let's take down the rest of them!" He yelled, eager to use more of his artistic powers to kill these monsters. His black and white hoverboard hummed as it then carried him forward, flying right towards the Ziszhui with his sword ready.

Manchester Black, meanwhile, was trying to push his way out of the large numbers of Ziszhui that surrounded him, trying to get after the one person he was determined to kill above everyone else. He spotted Superman shielding Carapace from an incoming web attack from a Ziszhui, pulling it forward with the web he caught and punching it in half with just one hit from his fist. Manchester felt his body charging with energy as he made a gun gesture with his finger, raising it up to shoot at Superman to get him out of the fight...but he didn't see quick enough for the spinning top of Queen B's wrapped around his wrist. Gasping, he turned to see the dark skinned girl giving him a little gesture with her finger. She then yanked him to her left, pulling Manchester through the surrounding Ziszhui like a wrecking ball, causing him to fire off a blast from his finger that shot right through several of the Ziszhui, causing them to hiss in agony as the colour of his energy sparked all over them, causing them to explode from the great power he set through them.

Manchester grunted as he was then released of the spinning top, causing him to slam tight against the icy wall of the orb that hidden away half of the Eiffel Tower. He panted in pain and frustration, having been knocked around enough already today, now he had to face fighting a load of children that were wiping out his army's numbers. And he wasn't the only one feeling the frustration.

His eyes burnt as something came over him, leaving him unable to keep his eyes closed as he heard her voice running through his head. She sounded very angry.

"Manchester! I can't feel my forces spreading beyond Paris! What is going on!?" demanded Abyss, her usual calm, sultry tone now like a roaring bull, not happy by the lack of progress from his end. Manchester winced in pain, feeling her voice ringing through him like it was gonna tear him to shreds. He groaned as he stood up, his eyes open to show her the battle going on in front of him.

"Supes got backup! And that rabbit bimbo has opened portals to consume yer flood!" he said in pain, trying to resist the burning feel running right through him. It only grew hotter as Abyss took this in.

"Must I do this myself!? Fine!" she spat in rage.

Manchester then felt his hands being forcibly lifted in the air with little to no control over them. He gasped as they were then thrown down onto the ground with great force, making him cry out as he thought they broke from his wrists. A crack was heard not from his hands, but from behind. A chunk of ice broke away from behind him, opening up a hole to the inside of the giant ice ball. Releasing from it was a thicker lot of flood that began to sweep across the battlefield, carrying some of the Ziszhui off their feet, rushing right towards the newly arrived heroes, who looked shocked to see more of the flood coming right towards them.

This did little to stop Skullstone though, for he roared loudly again as he brought his fists down onto the ground, making another set of rocks shooting up from under the ground, tearing right in front of the incoming flood, blocking it from reaching them and trapping them in its fearful grip. Skullstone breathed deeply, seeing his power did its work. Techno, being the tallest of the heroes, leaned over the large rocks and grinned from inside his robot. He turned to Superman and pointed down over it.

"Superman! We need some of your special liquid nitrogen breath to freeze this!" he yelled.

Superman nodded, knowing well enough on what to do here. He flew up the towering rocks with ease and gave a hard look at the trapped flood that nearly got them all. He had to really thank these kids for all the hard work they were doing. It was very courageous of them.

He let out a huge blow of his breath, cold filling the air as it turned the very dark flood that nearly consumed them into a thick blanket of silvery blue white ice, ceasing its onslaught. Techno gave him a thumbs up from where he was before he stepped back and noticed a weak point in the rocks. He knew what was best to be done, so he ran forward and threw his mechanical foot out, kicking it out of place with full force. Like a meteor, it tore through the air and came crashing right onto the newly arrived Ziszhui, guts of their inners to go flying all around their comrades, who hissed one anger at being crushed like the bugs they were. The battle was still going on, and Manchester was already getting tired.

* * *

Inside the underground cave, Abyss moaned in frustration as she felt the very cold stretch of her existence being contained. Even the groaning of her prisoners didn't please her in the slightest, not taking any notice of them, aside from Emilie, who was the source of her invasion. Abyss really wasn't in a happy mood this time, and she had to resist venting her frustrations out too much. She instead clamped her hands on Emilie's cheeks, seeing her eyes were still hopelessly glowing with her sad look going right into the ceiling above.

"I don't know what those children are up to in Paris, but you shouldn't have an inkling of hope for long! I am fear itself, nothing will stop my flood! And you will push it forward!" she hissed into Emilie as she gave her face a squeeze, making her let out a painful cry as her body felt like it was on fire when Abyss sent a blade of her aura through Emilie, making the while underground lightening up in the red colour.

Yet with the painful cries of Marinette, Adrien, Kagami, Constantine, and Nathalie filling her ears, Abyss couldn't hear the faint groans of a young man far down below in the dark of her cave.

Throughout the whole time Abyss had been talking and playing with her captives while also carrying out her nefarious plot, Kyle Rayner had been lying unconscious in the webs at the far bottom of her lair. It was so far down that nobody would be able to see him, the darkness eclipsing him entirely. Abyss hadn't bothered with Kyle as she knew without his ring, he'd never get free of the web he was stuck to. The artist-turned-superhero had just started coming round, wondering where he'd landed. His eyes opened, but he barely noticed the difference as it was so dark he couldn't even tell if he was awake or still unconscious. But the darkness lifted a little as the web he was stuck to started to glow red, Abyss's power amplifying as she tried to get Emilie to carry out her task in the Kwami's scheme. Now Kyle could see a little more, he noticed the web he was stuck to and that he was alone with no one else nearby. His first thought wasn't that he was OK. It hadn't even been his second, third or fourth though. His immediate thought upon coming to was worry over Constantine and his new friends.

"Constantine? Marinette? Adrien? Nathalie? Where are you?" he cried, tugging on the webs that were holding him down, "Are you all OK? Where's Abyss?!"

Nobody replied. That made Kyle shudder a little, already fearing the worst for his friends. Were they dead? Was it just him now? He had no idea but he wouldn't let that stop him. He'd get through this and bring an end to Abyss's scheme, whatever it was! If only he could break free of this web!

He then noticed some of the Ziszhui coming towards him. Their glowing eyes were fixated on him, telling Kyle that the Ziszhui were interested in him, as a meal no doubt. He could see four spider-like creatures approaching him, their fangs bared and their eyes gleaming with delight. Kyle didn't move, not that he could anyway. He decided to wait and see what they would do next. Maybe whatever they did could be their own undoing and his ticket to freedom. He narrowed his eyes, refusing to show signs of fear to these hideous beasts.

"What's the matter? Your mighty queen Abyss forgot to feed you today?" he taunted, "If you think you can satisfy yourselves with me, forget about it. I haven't got much for you to feast on."

The Ziszhui didn't seem to care what he said as they just approached him ever closer. Then two of the Ziszhui grabbed hold of his arms and hauled him to his feet, effortlessly peeling him off the web as if removing a plaster from a cut. What they intended to do next, Kyle didn't want to know. Despite having no ring and being utterly powerless, he knew the most important factor in being a Lantern was to never let the loss of a ring make you feel useless. A true Lantern was able to fight and achieve great things both with and without the ring.

Seizing his chance, Kyle reacted, swinging his knee into the gut of one Ziszhui to make it double over in pain and release him. Then he spun around and socked the other Ziszhui in the mouth, punching it so hard he broke one of its fangs. Punching it in the mouth left him with a few cuts on his hand but he ignored the pain, glad that the Ziszhui was hurt more than he was. While it was clutching its mouth and willing the pain to stop, Kyle grabbed one of its sheathed swords and in one swift move, he decapitated it. The headless body collapsed on the floor, blood oozing from its neck stump. The other three tried to ambush him simultaneously but Kyle jumped back, leaving them all to collide into each other. While they were stunned, Kyle stabbed one of them in the back and yanked the sword out again, leaving the wounded Ziszhui to bleed to death. One of the other drew out his swords and traded blows with Kyle, the clanging of metal ringing through the cave. Kyle held his sword in a roof block manoeuvre, causing his opponent's sword to slide away from him and leaving the Ziszhui open for a stab. He plunged the sword into its chest, wincing as the horrible sound of the spider-monster's dying screams pierced his ears and made his body shudder. The last one tried to cut him apart but Kyle spun around and kicked the wounded Ziszhui into its mate, causing the Ziszhui to accidentally cut it to pieces instead of Kyle. Angered, the last Ziszhui swung its swords towards Kyle in a desperate plea to cut him into bite-sized chunks. Kyle narrowly dodged, the swords drawing a line across his shirt but not drawing blood on him at all as it was a millimetre away from actually piercing his skin. Gasping with relief at the close call, Kyle blocked the next blow as the Ziszhui swung down towards him. The multi-legged freak swung its sword wildly, intending to give Kyle no opening and forcing him to continuously block his blows. But the White Lantern wasn't going to let himself fall to this very last one, not when he had his friends to save and the world to relieve from fear! Kyle jumped back from the Ziszhui and bounced off of a nearby web to propel himself in the air. He landed straight behind the Ziszhui and quickly pivoted on the balls of his feet. He swung the sword and at first, it looked as if nothing happened. Then a couple of seconds later, the Ziszhui's body separated itself from its legs. Panting, the Lantern of Life wiped his forehead and dropped the sword with relief, glad he'd made it out alive.

"Whew, that's showing these monsters what a powerless Lantern can do!" he cried, "I still can't believe I let that Abyss creature stop me in my tracks and remove my ring like that. I should know better than to give into such fear..."

He looked up above, unable to see anything else as he was too far down.

"I dunno how I'm gonna get up there, but with or without my ring, I'm not gonna give in to her again!" he declared, "I'm gonna get out of this pit, stop Abyss and rescue the others! I won't let the universe down, not when it's recovered from other catastrophic events like the Blackest Night!"

He looked to his feet, where he saw another fallen blade of a Ziszhui's. His mind already sparked with what to do and it was better than nothing with what he had in mind. Beaming, he picked it up with his other hand and eyed the closest wall he could see. Spinning them around so he was having the blades facing his feet, Kyle sprung up and planted them right into the wall, leaving just his legs hanging in the air. His muscles tightened as he gripped harder on them, blowing out some air from his mouth to ease his tension. He pulled one hand back and the sword with it, planting it a few meters above him, following it up with a similar action with his left hand. His climb would take a while but it'd be worth it, no matter how exhausting it would be.

His climb from the dark to the light had its own challenges though, not just with his muscles but with his mind. Kyle felt as if he just became a child in that moment with Abyss and look at where it got him, his friends and the world! He shouldn't have been so scared of such a creepy spider woman when he took on the likes of Sinestro, Paralax, and that Anti-Monitor! She was clearly full of power, but he went up against bigger...such idiocy was going to cost a lot...but not if he could undo that. He had to be better after failing at something. He always did.

His teeth gritted, Kyle pushed himself up further, coming across another stretch of webs that were now blocking his way.

Sighing in frustration, Kyle realised what was best to do for this. He pulled one blade out of the wall and turned it up.

"Never was good at trimming bushes back in college, but I'll do my best." he said to himself, ready to swing the sword back to start slicing it away to continue his climb.

But something then caught his orbs that made him stop right there. His heart leapt in relief as he saw it, right there in the web above him, was his power ring. It might've been caught in the webs but there wasn't a scratch on it that undid its pure look.

His eyes narrowing in determination, Kyle realised it was now or never. It would make this difficult situation easier if he had his ring on. Gritting his teeth, he took one last look at his sword pressed into the wall that held him in relative safety before pressing his feet to the wall. He took a deep breath with closed eyes, shutting off all other emotions as he couldn't let anything negative cloud him. Eyes opening, Kyle leapt forward with a spring, shifting himself right towards where his ring was. He already felt gravity beginning to pull him down but he still had his arms outstretched, his hands just inches from the ring...

It was just enough for his fingers to give the web a pull and briefly hold him in the air, just by his pinky and index finger. Wincing at the pressure, Kyle sent his other hand up and got a better grip on the web above him, his legs following up after him as he pulled his body up. Kyle sighed as he sent his hand through the web, where he slid his fingers right into the ring, sitting it nicely in. A sense of calmness came over Kyle as he closed his eyes, smiling as he felt the warmth of life itself run right through him.

"In brightest day, there will be light. To cleanse the soul and set wrongs right. When darkness falls, look to the skies. A new dawn comes. Let there be light!"

As he recited the chant, the magic happened all around him. His ordinary clothes were transformed back into the trademark White Lantern costume, a surge of energy coursed through his body, making him feel completely reenergized and like he had the power to punch a god across the room and his body glowed brightly as the Light of Life emitted around him, once again giving him that heavenly aura that gave the White Lanterns a suitably angelic appearance. Kyle let go of the wall, no longer needing to hold on as he could fly again. Clenching his fists, he smirked to himself.

"Watch out Abyss, I'm coming for you..." he said cryptically as if she could somehow hear him from where he was.

He then shot up into the air as if he was a missile being launched at the enemy. He could see some web up ahead, telling him this might be where Abyss herself is. He formed a spherical construct around himself so he wouldn't get stuck in the web. He ploughed straight through it, catching Abyss's attention and making her four eyes widen in astonishment. She turned around sharply, hissing in anger.

"What in the name of the Kwami was that?!" she exclaimed.

She didn't get to find out as Kyle levitated towards her and unleashed a bright flash of white light that obliterated the darkness around her and made her scream in anguish as she was blinded, the light too much for her to handle. Doing this was enough to break her concentration so the prisoners were snapped out of their trance, though they too had to close their eyes as the light was too bright for them. Tikki had a different reaction. Instead of being unable to look at the light, she felt a sudden surge of energy that gave her new strength and now she suddenly felt like she could kick a meteor and send it careening into another one. The Kwami of Life and the Light of Life made for an incredible combination. This was enough for Tikki to break free of her webbing, effortlessly peeling it off the wall and throwing it off herself. She gasped, amazed at how strong she felt.

"Wow, I've never felt THIS strong in my life!" she exclaimed, "I suddenly feel like I was just created all over again!"

"Kwami of Life, Lantern of Life. It all works out I guess." Kyle suggested, pleased to see that everyone was fine and that he'd helped Tikki break free.

He dimmed his light so everyone could open their eyes again and see him. Everyone looked at Kyle and their faces lit up with delight. Seeing him really did feel like an angel had been sent from above to rescue them all.

"Kyle! You're alive and you got your ring back!" Marinette cried.

"Got anything else we can't clearly see in front of us Captain Obvious?" Constantine retorted.

"Oh hush, just be grateful he's here to get us out of this mess!" Nathalie snapped.

"How did you get your ring back?" Adrien asked.

"Lucky find." Kyle said simply, "Now let's get you outta that web before Spider Girl over there recovers."

He used his ring to form an energy construct that resembled a giant pair of scissors. He used that to trim the webs around Adrien to cut him loose while Tikki flew into Marinette's earrings to transform her into Ladybug. Once the baker girl was all costumed and powered up, she effortlessly peeled herself off the wall, tearing the web as if it was paper. While Kyle freed Adrien and move on to free Nathalie and Constantine, Ladybug drew her Ladyblades out to cut Emilie free. The elder Agreste breathed a collective sigh of relief, months in captivity finally over and her able to walk freely at long last.

"Oh thank god that's over!" she cried, "I've long to walk out of this cave ever since Abyss dragged me down here!"

"All I can say is welcome to the world again Emilie Agreste." Ladybug said politely.

There was one person left to cut free. Ladybug leapt over to Kagami, noticing the Asian girl was blinking away whatever was left of her unconsciousness and was starting to become aware of her surroundings. She gasped upon seeing Ladybug but said nothing as the spotty heroine cut her free.

"You have my gratitude." Kagami said nobly, "But don't think about running away again. I've still got answers I want to find."

"Save it, now's not a good time." Ladybug said sternly, "We've gotta get out of here first."

She looked over to Kyle, who had just freed Constantine from the web. Now everyone was free, Kyle used his ring to form a white construct that was a simple rectangle shape. Everyone climbed on with Emile clutching hold of Adrien, who was now back in his Cat Noir form, nervously as she stepped on. She'd never seen anything like this before and it felt weird getting to stand on what should just be a mere light that somehow felt solid.

"What kind of Miraculous does this man have?" she blustered.

"It's not a Miraculous, but I'd say his power fits the name just as well." Cat Noir joked.

"Hold tight everyone, we're going up and we're gonna be shooting our way out!" Kyle cried, "Here...we...GO!"

He then changed his construct to form that of a box that shielded them from his next action. Kyle aimed his hand up and everyone felt their legs get wobbly as the box shot jump right towards the ceiling at the speed of a missile, causing their surroundings to become a blur as they neared the ceiling. They all closed their eyes shut, tightly doing so as they braced themselves for impact. They all nearly came flying off their feet as the box tore right through the ceiling, chunks of rock and pieces of web falling apart as they went further up. It wasn't long until they briefly caught the familiar sight of the interior of the temple, but that was soon gone as they then tore right through the ceiling of the building, taking them out into the now dark sky of the night.

Once outside, Kyle slowed the speed he was going at, giving everyone a chance to regain their footing and their sights. Helping each other up, they steadily stood close to Kyle as he smiled at them all, showing them he did it and got them all safely outside. And what a sight the outside was now.

The mountain was now covered in a thick blanket of snow, with the flakes still making their piece on the land, filling the air so much it nearly erased the dark. Emilie looked the most thankful to see such a sight again. She stepped towards the wall of the construct and shakily put a hand against it, a small smile forming on her face as she felt weak in the legs. She was free. Free to be in the fresh air. Free with her son.

Chat Noir could feel the great heat of joy burning from his mother and he couldn't keep away. He rushed to her side and took her by the arms, letting her lean into him for support. He smiled with her as tears of his own flowed from his eyes, happy to be holding her close to him again. Emilie felt the same way, putting an arm around her son and resting her head against his hair, taking in that soft smell of freshness he always had. It did a lot to relax her in helping her see she got her freedom, for she was with her beloved son again, only now he was the one supporting her, not the other way around. Ladybug gazed on with a smile, her heart almost melting at the sight of her boyfriend's better reunion with his mother. It was something she wanted for him since they revealed each other's identities.

Of course, the other's minds were elsewhere, for Constantine then tapped Kyle's shoulder.

"Hey, mate, mind setting us down somewhere where those pricks won't see us? We're out in the open here." he pointed out to him, getting Kyle to see they were still in the temple's line of sights. He nodded, beginning to pick them up in the air and going up the hill to where they would be out of eyesight. As he did so, Kyle noticed something as he looked up, making him frown.

"Is that a sword on my construct?" he asked, seeing the red jewelled handled blade on the top of his construct. Kagami almost looked relieved to see it.

"That would be mine." she stated to him, getting a slight raised look from Ladybug, who couldn't help but still hold some apprehension towards the girl. She was going to have to make sure she got hold of that before Kagami would.

* * *

If rage could be heard through mere groans, it would be enough to make you run away. But these groans were sounded alone underneath piles of rubble on top of her, so no one had to worry for her taking her anger out on them. But Abyss was livid. Livid after such a long time.

Boulders as big as cars were moved as easily as little stones from whoever it was holding down from underneath. It was tossed aside really easily, causing it to crash down several feet upon the piles of rubble below. Standing up from the space she made for herself, Abyss hissed as she looked around at the damage that was made, her eyes narrowed in utter rage as the work she made was now undone. Her fists clenched as she gazed up into the hole in the ceiling, eyes glowing as she could feel a cold rush run down her over something she realised was now lost.

Breathing in and out, with her breasts moving in motion, her eyes looked further down to the endless stretch of darkness, her mind twisting with the new idea.

"You might've gotten out for now, but don't think I'm hiding in here...looks like I'll have to eat you up. All of you." she said in a more bitter tone, somewhat annoyed she had to resort to this now.

Her many legs carried her down towards the bottom, her eyes glowing when her mind reached out to the other side of the world.

* * *

In Paris, the battle was still in a well contained area and things were still as gruesome as ever. Super Nathan, on his hoverboard, flew down and performed several decapitations on the Ziszhui in his way, causing them all to fall onto their fronts. Spark let off another flash from her invisible body that blinded a group of Ziszhui she had approached, allowing Beamer to come spinning in and slicing them down with her spinning skirt, before running up along a giant growth of vine that was fired from her girlfriend on the other side of the rocks, where many Ziszhui had started webbing onto to try and reach the other side. Beamer fired blasts from her hands, hitting those closest to her, turning them to stone before kicking them to pieces with a single hit from her foot. She tore through the rest with her skirt, causing them to fall from the sky and litter the battlefield with their scattered bodies.

Techno was in slight trouble as several Ziszhui had fired their webs around his robot's left wrist and his right leg, using their strength to pull him down from both of those points. Techno groaned in frustration as he then pulled his right hand up and swiped across those that were pulling him down, splitting them up onto many pieces and freeing his left hand. With that, he pulled his right leg around and threw the others out from where they had tangled up his foot, freeing it from their webs.

Bunnyx was jumped off of Carapace's shield and brought her umbrella down like a sword on a Ziszhui's head, causing it to blink in frustration. She hooked her handle around the wrist of the monster and tossed it over her head, with Rena Rouge whacking it with her flute, sending it crashing onto the ground, where Queen B slammed her spinning top on its head with the point of it, digging it right in. She pulled hard until it's head came right out of its neck, sending it flying through the air. They sighed gladly as they saw the area they were in was now clear, but they still cringed as they looked down at the gruesome body pieces on the ice.

"Not sure I wanna go ice skating for a while." Rena Rouge said to Carapace as he came up beside her with Hudie coming closely with him.

"We won't get to go at all if we don't put a stop to this! It's that seed of his we need to remove!" Carapace pointed out, looking at the giant ice ball that was shielding they seed from this. Hudie tapped the ice with weariness.

"That and I feel there's still plenty of the flood left under this ice. It can break through soon." he said, his voice slightly nervous as he eyed the darkness buried under the ice.

Of course, his worries were put to rest when his eyes caught sight of the darkness under the ice beginning to shrink away, making him let out a startled sound of confusion that attracted the attention of the others around him.

"Uh...is that good or bad?" Queen B questioned as she crouched over, trying to find where the liquid under the ice went.

Rena's and Bunnyx's ears twitched as they picked up the sound of a tap of sorts shutting off the water, causing them to turn towards the source of the sound was where Manchester was standing next to the new flow of the dark liquid he just made, only now it stopped, causing him to look at it in confusion while his hands shook. Rena couldn't help but smile.

"I take it as a good thing." she said.

Manchester couldn't even voice a question as his eyes glowed red, regaining contact with Abyss. His body nearly exploded from the fire running through him, indicating he was feeling her rage.

"Manchester! Things have gone south my end! You've lost the flood!" she sounded off in his head, making his eyes widen.

"You what!? How!?" he asked back.

"I'll get it under control! You keep them away from the seed, it'll help restart the flood when I get Emilie back!" Abyss yelled in his head, before pulling out of his brain like a hand released its grip on someone's head.

Gasping as he blinked it away, Manchester snarled as he saw the Ziszhui's were still struggling against the new heroes, and now there was no flood to help them out with this. His eyes darted around to see what use he could make here. His mind felt like it clicked as he saw the obvious that he could use once he locked onto the tentacles. A grin came over his face as his hands sparked in energy, standing right up as the energy did so over the tentacles, which began to rise from where they breached the grounds where they were.

For a second, the whole battle stopped as everyone paused to see what was going on. They looked up to see the rising tentacles and their shadows coming right over them, making their hearts pause as they saw things were getting a lot more deadlier now with these tentacles now here. Manchester smirked as he raised his hands, with the tentacles following his movements.

"Now then, my lads...who fancies dying today?"

* * *

In Tibet, now in their hiding place, the escaped heroes used their time of freedom to recover fully. Nathalie had actually flopped onto her back once the construct faded, not caring at how cold the snow was, she was glad to have felt something fresh and soft after being stuck to Abyss's webs. Constantine offered her a light but she wasn't interested, so he settled for sitting beside her, watching on as Ladybug and Chat Noir were talking to Emilie while Kyle had Kagami in construct handcuffs, on orders of Ladybug to stop her from running off. Constantine couldn't help but feel a light of sorts overcome his heart as his eyes locked onto Chat Noir and Emilie, seeing them boy smiling more brighter than usual. He giggled as he pointed a finger at them both.

"Now that is what I call mission accomplished. Seeing that young lad getting his mum back has fully filled that hole in his heart." he said softly. Nathalie hummed, her breathing easing as she saw them both holding each other.

"Yes...I just hope Emilie will be able to readjust to normal life when we get home. Wouldn't blame her if she wants to get Gabriel's surname removed when she does so." she said bitterly, imagining the battle she would be in when she'd get home.

"Hey, at least she'd be able to get herself and Adrien a new home and he can feel like a normal boy again instead of having to hide with Fu. Though if I'm right, it's not just that you're worried about." Constantine said in a suggestive tone, clearly telling that there was something else. Nathalie didn't look at him but her chest did sink a little from a swirling sad feeling. Giving her a pat, Constantine gave her a verbal offer.

"If I were you, say something before you don't see them again."

Such words never moved her before, and it certainly made her sit up as she thought over what to say. She really hoped Emilie would hear her out.

For Emilie herself, she could hardly contain her emotions as she fully hugged her son, tears streaming from her eyes as she held him to her, her heart beating fast from her warm chest as she ran a hand through his hair. His voice was enough to send shivers running through Emilie as both mother and son opened up their emotions. Feeling him in her arms was sending a rush of hotness running through her body as that motherly feeling came over her.

"Adrien...it's really you! My boy...my wonderful baby boy! Y-you came for me..." she sobbed in his shoulder, getting a rub from her son, who sniffed as her pushed back his own tears, the cold meaning nothing to him as he was warmed by his mother's hold.

"I would've come for you if I found out sooner, mom. Even if I went alone, I'd have done it." he said softly, feeling her rubbing her cheek into his shoulder. He smiled more as he looked up to Ladybug, who knelt with him as she began to smooth his back, silent happiness in her heart as she got to finally see this.

"But I didn't come alone either." he reminded, gently nodding towards his girlfriend. Sniffling, Emilie smiled as she turned to the red and dotty heroine, gratefulness in her eyes as she looked at Ladybug, who felt shy all of a sudden as she now was sharing a lot of time with her boyfriend's mother.

"You sure didn't. I know who you are, young lady. Marinette, right?" she asked softly, getting a quick nod from the blue haired girl. Emilie beamed.

"My son found the right girl. You healed the hearts of many, especially my son's. No wonder you got the Ladybug Miraculous." she said kindly to the heroine, who smiled nervously.

"J-Just being the best I can, Mrs Agreste." she replied in a shy tone. Emile giggled at her.

"Call me Emilie, dear. I don't think Agreste suits either of us now" she said quietly as she looked at Chat Noir, who gave her a sad look as realisation came over them.

"I'm so sorry over what he'd done, Adrien...if I didn't leave, he wouldn't have done what he did, and you wouldn't have to live in hiding...I promise, when I get home, I'll make things right. I mean it." she said in a tone of desperation, only to get a soft hold of the hand from her son, who beamed.

"You mustn't blame yourself, mom. Dad made those choices himself. You were trying to protect the world, something not many would try to do. That gives you mom of the year from me." he reminded her, nothing but proudness in his voice from what he remembered the good his mother did.

"Speaking of all the good you did, Emilie, is it okay we have a word with Duusu? Abyss did trap him in there for a while." Ladybug then asked, pointing to the Peacock Miraculous in her hands.

Emilie looked briefly stunned but nodded, holding her hands up with the Peacock Miraculous. Chat Noir kept his hands around her, watching on in interest as he saw his mother get free her own little Kwami from its Miraculous. Putting her lips close to it, Emilie spoke softly to it.

"Dusuu, fall my feathers." she said, her voice loving as she was ready to welcome the Kwami back into the world.

A slight glow came from the Miraculous, the glow forming a blue orb that lifted from the Miraculous before taking the shape of a Kwami. A female voice squeaked as she fully recovered her body, which was blue with a little pink gem in her forehead with strands of the same colour lifting from her head, Peacock styled tails poking from below while her purple and pink eyes gazed nervously up at Emilie, who gave her a sad look as she rubbed her head with her finger.

"Duusu, it's okay, we're free now. We're safe" she assured the Kwami, who hummed at her touch, warmed by her love.

"It was scary, Emilie...being lost in that dark, feeling hot with all that anger...I hated it" she said, on the point of tears in her speech. Chat Noir looked on in awe at how much this sweet little Kwami was being so open with Emilie, so he gave her a little smooth with his finger.

"Awww, don't you worry, you're out now and that nasty spider cow isn't going to hurt you again." he said kindly, getting a loving look from Duusu.

"Thank you, Adrien. It's nice to see you again after all these years. Nicer to talk to you as well." she said sweetly to him, getting a smile from him.

Ladybug gave her a smooth as well with a smile.

"You both look like you need something to eat. I'll see if Constantine brought anything decent. You both need it." she said to them both, getting a grateful nod from both Emilie and Duusu. Ladybug stood up and gave a loving gaze to Chat Noir, showing him her heart was there for his. His face was full of love as he showed her a thank you in his eyes. This was something he long wanted and she was glad to help give this to him.

However, Kagami had her eyes on her as she moved around, really wanting to get her words out to her. Kyle saw this and decided to speak up to get her attention.

"Look, no offence, but you need to wait, she needs to see to them and you're in cuffs by her own advice. That and I don't want to end up on the other end of your sword" he said in a stern tone, getting a sigh from her in response. She wasn't going to try and test his strength, he could easily knock her out if she did.

Still, her chance came when Ladybug stood up from Chat Noir and Emilie after giving her and Duusu some chocolate Constantine had in his coat. Walking over towards Kagami and Kyle, Ladybug locked eyes with the young girl with some uncertainty in her eyes, which only made Kagami a bit nervous over what to hear from the dotty heroine. You could imagine her own stunned reaction when Ladybug sighed and looked to Kyle.

"Undo them, Kyle. She won't get far if she tried to run" she told him, her voice hard with her decision. Frowning in confusion at first, Kyle nodded and let the construct of the cuffs fade from Kagami's hands, freeing her arms. Kyle kept hold of her sword from her, but she didn't even try to go for it. Instead, her eyes stayed on Ladybug, who gave her a hand wave to follow after her.

"Lets talk. I think we really need to get to know each other." she said lightly, stunning the blue haired girl at first. Glancing nervously to her hands, she nodded before following her, interested in what it was that the heroine was up for talking to her about.

Ladybug found it weird to try and hold some form of reason towards a former enemy beside her, but she'd rather be mature in her way of handling the girl than just going into a verbal beat down at her. She could also see how Kagami was behaving, how she looked away nervously and the confused look on her face was mixed with nervousness. Ladybug didn't want to come off as being frightening so she decided to be a bit kinder.

"What was your name again?" she asked, interest in her voice as she looked at her, getting a confused look from the blue haired girl, who looked nervous before answering the heroine.

"Kagami...my name is Kagami." she said quietly to Ladybug, who raised her eyes in interest.

"Okay. Sounds like a nice name. So then, Kagami, why were you all the way out here on your own? Mission for Vandal Savage?" she asked, trying to get to the source of Kagami's reason for being here.

"Vandal Savage?" Kyle exclaimed, surprised to hear Ladybug mention that name.

He knew she'd gone up against the Light but he didn't expect that this Kagami girl had ties to the group. He narrowed his eyes at the Japanese girl, now seeing her as a cobra waiting to strike. If she was working with Vandal, she had to be dangerous.Kagami huffed and nodded, looking away.

"Yes. He sent me here because he wanted to get some magicium to make himself some magical weapons similar to your Miraculouses and my sword". she said bitterly, feeling some sort of shame running through her voice as she told this to Ladybug, who felt her face harden.

"No wonder then. Should we expect him to arrive soon?" she asked in a hard tone.

Kagami chuckled lightly, with a hint of gladness in her voice.

"Heh, I don't think so. See this?" she asked as she raised her neck, revealing a slight scar on it, "He placed a tracker in me, linked to my pulse. That spider monster removed it, so as far as he's concerned, I'm dead. He knows I wouldn't have been able to remove it so he won't start looking for me." she said to Ladybug, who winced as she watched the scar fade from her sight when Kagami lowered her neck, now giving the heroine hard eyes.

"And with this new freedom I've got, I can start looking into who you are to me, Marinette." she said sharply. This nearly made the heroine jump out of her skin when she said this and she suddenly felt an urge to pull her Ladyblades out to put them to Kagami's throat. She didn't though, instead looking around nervously so the others didn't pick this up before looking back at her.

"H-How did you know!? Does Vandal know!?" she quietly demanded, fear running through her as the thought of the immortal man coming after her family was enough to put her on edge. Kagami smiled though and looked to Chat Noir and Emilie.

"He hasn't got a clue. It's actually Emilie Agreste that gave it away. I mean, Gabriel Agreste exposed as a villain a year after his wife went missing, killed by Joker, then we have your boyfriend cuddling her? It's obvious he's Adrien, and I know you date Adrien. I...spied on you while I was in Paris." she explained to the blue haired heroine.

Ladybug sighed in relaxation at this word from Kagami, though she still gave her hard eyes as these words fully settled in.

"Spying on me? When you say that and wanting to look into who I am to you...is it because of how similar we look?" she asked, needing an answer. Kagami giggled, giving her a beam.

"Guess that's a clue enough. We're thinking alike." she suggested, getting a hum from Ladybug.

"Yeah...I'll admit, since I unmasked you, it has been on my mind. Once we get back to Paris, I'll see if we can try to figure something out. My mother's side of the family is very big." she said in slight proudness, giving Kagami a slight beam of light running through her.

Before she could respond, though, the whole relaxation was cut short as they felt the ground rumble and a loud set of crumbling coming further below. Gasping, everyone got to their feet and ran towards the edge of their hiding place, where they could see what the sound was.

They froze as they saw the temple was crumbling to pieces. But it wasn't getting blown up. It was like something was rising from beneath it, it's great size causing the temple to fall apart. Plumes of smoke shot out from where the rubble fell, stretching right over the snow and ruining its sweet sight. What risen up from the smoke was something of a monster.

Round was its large head, stretching to its back and feet, which looked similar to that of a frog's. On its forehead was a symbol similar to that of the Order of Guardian's. Darted all over its blue skin was many Ziszhui, all of whom held on hard while sitting right in the middle of the creature was Abyss, who smiled as she looked through the snow that fell from the sky. Only she wasn't admiring the snow. She was actually looking for her food.

"Now then, who's up for feasting upon Emilie and those delicious humans?"

* * *

_**It's great to see everyone free from Abyss's webs and a heart-warming reunion between Emilie and Adrien. But it's FAR from over. It's going to be the battle for everyone's lives and the fate of the world depends on who triumphs! Will it be Kyle and the Miraculous crew? Or will it be Abyss and her Sentimonster minion?**_

_**Tune in next time as we get the battle between our heroes and the forces of Abyss...**_


	9. Chapter 8: Feast

_Chapter 8: Feast_

To say the excitement had been sucked out of everyone's bodies would be an overstatement. Yeah, they were pretty shocked to see such a thing down below them, but not to the point of being left scared and motionless. Even then, Kagami covered her mouth in disgust at such a sight of the giant frog thing, even more when Abyss leaned down on its head and began to smooth it, as if she was easing a child.

"Sniff them out, my dear Feast. You can find those Miraculouses very easily. But do not leave the humans unharmed. I have no use of them now." Abyss said softly to the giant creature, which let out a loud, hungry croak, nearly throwing the Ziszhui off with such a movement. It began to plant its feet deep into the snow, smelling out wherever the heroes were, leaving Abyss sitting patiently on his back.

Emile looked horrified at such a sight, but there was a feeling of familiarity coming over her, as did Duusu, who groaned miserably as to what this meant. Chat Noir's ears picked up their distress, leaving him to turn to his mother with great concern on his face.

"Mom? What is it? Talk to me." he urged, taking her arms into his with soft support to help ease her tension.

Emilie still didn't feel at ease though, her chest tight as she let it settle in on what this was.

"That creature down there...is a Sentimonster. The one I came to stop. From what Duusu told me, it was created to eat all the Miraculouses. I didn't think I'd ever see it because I thought Abyss just did a trick to trap me...I need to finish this." she said, breathing steadily as acceptance came over her mind, her voice serious as she knew what needed to be done now.

Chat a Noir looked at her like she suddenly got trapped in a web again, her face full of confusion and disbelief to what he was hearing. His hands gripped slightly harder as instincts kicked in.

"What!? But mom, y-you can't go down there and fight that thing! We just got you out of there!" he yelled, his voice fearful at the thought of her getting back down there to fight. Emilie looked alarmed at his outburst at first and this did cause her face to soften, though there was some resilience in her voice.

"Adrien, you don't understand: I'm the only one who can stop it. I just need to get close enough to recall the Amok to get Marinette to purify it." she explained to him, her voice full of understanding but firmness too.

Ladybug gave her a confused look.

"Wait, I can do that as well?" she asked with a frown, this being news to her. Duusu nodded.

"Yes, Ladybug. Like an Akuma, if an Amok is used for negative deeds and filled with negative energy, it can get purified by your yoyo. But I'm not ready yet, Emilie." she said as she turned to the motherly woman, who looked stunned to hear this.

"That biscuit wasn't enough. I was inside your Miraculous for a year and I've been starved of power by what Abyss just put me through." she said bitterly to the blonde woman, who looked sullen at the thought of not getting the job done straight away.

Constantine sighed as he opened his coat up and pulled a packet of chocolate biscuits from his coat pocket.

"In that case, eat all this up, birdie. We'll distract it for you." he said hastily, shoving it into Emilie's hand before walking off to Kyle.

"C'mon, mate, get us down there!" he urged, up for fighting Feast.

Kyle sighed but smiled as he gave Ladybug and Chat Noir a gesture, showing he was ready to get down there as well. Chat Noir sighed and smoothed his mother's arms, giving her a firm look.

"Come down when you're ready, don't rush it." he said to her in a soft tone, getting a slight nod from his mother.

"You be careful, my baby boy." she said quietly to him, her eyes full of love towards her son, who smiled at the kind words she shared with him.

He pulled away and ran to Kyle's and Constantine's sides with Ladybug. They were then joined by Kagami, who pointed to Kyle.

"I need my sword, thank you." she firmly ordered the Lantern, who looked confused for a second before looking to Ladybug.

"Um...we can trust her, right?" he asked in a uncertain tone. Ladybug shrugged but gave her a smile.

"Well, Vandal thinks she's dead and she could be just as helpful. That sword of hers can do a great deal of damage. Just be careful." she told the blue haired girl, who gave her a respectful smile as she stood with her and the others. Kyle accepted Ladybug's words and passed the sword to Kagami, who smiled as she saw the jewel glow. Raising his hand, Kyle created a platform construct that shot out under everyone's feet, raising them just a few feet off the ground. He gave them all a smile.

"Let's save the world." he quietly declared, getting a grin from everyone as they pulled out their weapons.

From where he was, Feast lifted his head up fast, getting a pleased look from Abyss.

"Ahhhh, picked something up, my dear Feast?" she asked, smoothing his head softly so as to ease his excitement. He croaked with a slight nod. Abyss was about to ask him where it was when a bright beam of light suddenly took over her sight, making her hiss in pain at how sharp the brightness was. She groaned as she shielded her eyes.

"Ugh! The Lantern!" she yelled angrily, her eyes beginning to glow in anger as the brightness died down, giving her a chance to see. She had a feeling she'd see Kyle...she didn't think she'd see him holding a construct of a bucket over her head. He gave her a grin.

"SURPRISE!"

Abyss looked really annoyed as he poured a massive amount of snow right on top of her and Feast, burying them both and the Ziszhui right under the thick lump of snow by a few feet, not a single trace of them for him to see. Smiling, Kyle looked back to where he dropped off his friends, with Ladybug giving him a thumbs up before she looked to the others.

"Spread out, guys, keep an eye for the Ziszhui!" she warned, pulling out the Ladyblades as she began to circle around the area in her own direction, with Chat Noir going his own way while Kagami went her own.

Constantine ran back towards the surrounding wall, pulling out his lighter for his cigarette, pulling the switch off the top.

"Haven't tried this for a while but it's worth it." he said to himself as he poured a bit of the oil onto the ground beside him, then he rubbed his hands together hard, doing so until his hands were stinging with heat. Biting on his lip, Constantine poured more of the oil onto his hand, then did it on the other. He bit back the pain he just put on himself and stretched his hands out, before his eyes glowed a bright yellow. His hands grew hotter as flames then shot from his hands, hitting the spot on the ground before shooting his arms out, causing the flames to tear across the area, rising up to about thirty feet high and trapping them all in a huge circle of fire, turning the dark to a hotter night with the flames coming over them.

Of course, it was at this point that things began to take a turn, for Ladybug, Chat Noir and Kagami felt the snow begin to turn towards them, causing their chests to tighten as they saw where it was coming from. A loud croaked bellowed from beneath the snow before Feast threw himself out, landing a few feet from where he was buried, with Abyss and the Ziszhui still on top of him.

"You should know perfectly well that spiders aren't one for being buried alive!" Abyss sneered, "We can crawl through even the smallest of spaces! A puny snowfall won't keep me or my Sentimonster down!"

"True that, but I know you spiders don't like fire a whole lot." Constantine retorted, "Let's see you handle that!"

He threw his arms up and commanded a torrent of flames to leap out of the ring of fire towards Abyss and Feast. Keen to protect its master, Feast held his head up high so the spider-creature wouldn't get burnt. Feast could handle the flames much better than she or the Ziszhui ever could but it wasn't impervious to pain. It croaked loudly, pain flaring through the front of its body as the flames scorched it horribly. After that was over, Feast was forced to rub itself against the snow to ease the burns. Now it was currently unable to retaliate, White Lantern seized his opportunity to use his ring to create a construct of a giant a shovel. Ladybug and Cat Noir couldn't help but notice the artist in Kyle proudly on display here as the construct was highly detailed as if Kyle wanted to make the shovel look as realistic as possible despite it being made of white energy. White Lantern held the shovel up high and then slammed it down hard on Feast's head. The giant frog-monster let out a deep, rumbling bellow of pain that sounded more like an earthquake was about to happen. The snow shuddered all around them. That made White Lantern purse his lips in thought. Would an avalanche start if this fight got too hectic? If so, he'd make sure to create a construct to handle it.

He was about to hit Feast again with the shovel construct but Abyss fired a jet of web towards him. The red splodge of web hit him in the face, making him cry out more in surprise than in pain. It clung to his face and he was forced to stop fighting for a moment so he could pull it off. As White Lantern pulled at the web, Feast stood up and shook its head to ease off the pain. It amazed Ladybug and Cat Noir that such a huge, bulbous creature could even stand at all. The giant frog opened its mouth and shot out its tongue towards the Miraculers, keen to eat their magical items whole. Ladybug tried to dodge but she was a fraction too slow and the tongue hit her. She stuck to it like a fly to flypaper, truly a frog's dinner with no way out. Cat Noir reacted a little quicker, stabbing down on the tongue with his staff before Feast could retract. The amphibian Sentimonster roared in anguish as the glowing tips of the staff scorched his tongue and made it wave it about in pain. This shook Ladybug free and sent her hurling into the snow. She grimaced as sticky saliva clung to her and her landing in the snow just caused some of it to stick to her like glue. She shook herself off, trying not to gag.

"Ugh that was really gross..." she said hoarsely.

"I'd just be glad you didn't end up seeing that thing on the inside ladybird." Constantine said bluntly.

Both he and Ladybug were forced to dodge as Feast tried to catch her again with its tongue. This time, the dodge was successful so Ladybug didn't get caught again. She jumped towards Feast, spinning her yoyo and aiming to hit it in the aye but Feast was ready for her. The colossal beast shot forward in a surprise headbutt attack, knocking her flying backwards. She hurled towards where Emilie was hiding and the Agreste woman reacted quickly, holding her arms out to catch the teenage heroine. Ladybug crashed straight into her, knocking Emilie down on her back. The two girls were left sprawled on the snow, wondering which part of them to rub better before they stood up again. Ladybug recovered first, sitting up and getting up off Emilie so she could help her to her feet.

"Sorry Emilie." Ladybug said sheepishly. Talk about setting a first impression as her son's girlfriend! She doubted Emilie imagined anything like that when thinking about who Adrien would fall in love with in the future.

"Don't mind me, it's that monster you need to worry about dear!" Emilie cried, "I'm glad I could catch you before you really ended up getting hurt!"

"I probably would've taken it but yeah, thanks for the save." Ladybug said graciously, "How's Dusuu?"

"She's almost done." Emilie informed, "Just distract it a little longer and I'll be able to join you."

"Got it. We'll do what we can in the meantime!" Ladybug said confidently.

Ladybug sprung back to her feet and leapt down below, her Ladyblades now ready and aimed right down onto Feast. She hit her target full on and jammed them right into the rubbery surface of the giant frog, making it screech loudly as she twisted them in deeper. She didn't get far though, for the Ziszhui that held onto Feast's back had began to circle around her, their own weapons ready to slash her apart. Seeing she had to retreat, Ladybug pulled her blades out of the giant frog's skin and leapt off with a flip, spinning herself in the air until she made a landing on her feet, the snow rising over her ankles. Of course, this drrew the Ziszhui off of Feast and they began to advance towards Ladybug, who flipped her swords in her hands and parted her legs, ready to fight.

But the fight didn't come as she thought it would, for instead a razor sharp whip like weapon shot out ahead of Ladybug and ripped right through the first lot of Ziszhui, cutting most of them in half and making them drop to the snow, staining the white soft surface with their gruesome insides. Ladybug looked to see it was Kagami who came to her rescue, retracting her dagger tail to her to reform its sword shape. She gave her a smile.

"Cousin or not, you're my ally, Ladybug, and don't think I'll let you fight alone!" she declared bravely as she graced herself for the incoming swipe of the remaining Ziszhui coming her way, blocking their four swords with her own.

Kagami wasn't going to stay in that position for long, for the jewel on her sword flashed red, producing a double bladed version of her weapon that she used to slice the Ziszhui's legs off from the bottom, bringing it down fast enough for her to slash its head off with another swipe. Ladybug smiled back, springing herself forward to bring her blades down upon a Ziszhui that was coming to Kagami's way.

Of course, they weren't the only Ziszhui that was in Feast, for another lot was coming off the other side, this time towards Chat Noir and Constantine. Kyle, in the meantime, had pulled the lump of web off his face and swiftly went to action, this time creating a construct of a scooper from his ring. Abyss fired another web at him but he easily deflected it with a whack of the scooper before flying down and dug it under the feet of Feast, who croaked weakly as Kyle then flung him up into the air, Abyss going with him. She hissed in anger as Kyle flew over her head and this time constructed a giant tennis racket from his ring and whacked it down right onto Feast, sending him crashing right towards the fire, making it screech as it tried to roll the flames off.

Chat Noir steadied himself as one Ziszhui came at him with all four swords coming right to his head, but the leather clad hero quickly grabbed one of his hands and used his glowing baton tip to stab it right in the chest, making it hiss in pain as it turned to dust. He had to duck quickly to avoid the slash of more swords from another Ziszhui, ripping his claws up from below to leave deep cuts right into its stomach and chest, blood spurting from its sickening wounds, before Chat Noir finished this up by grabbing its head and pulled himself over it, twisting his whole body around and pulled its head off. Landing on his feet, the teen tossed it like a basketball to another Ziszhui, which screeched in anger at receiving the head of its comrade. It threw it aside and charged at Chat Noir, who swiftly stabbed it right in the face and reduced it to dust, but he was then knocked off his feet when another rammed into him from the side, sending him flopping into the snow. The Ziszhui went to stab its swords into him, but Constantine calmly walked in between him and Chat Noir, his hands inches apart from each other with a frightening scowl on his face.

"I wouldn't hurt him if I were you." he said darkly as he clapped his hands together, causing a blast of fire to shoot from his hands, turning the Ziszhui to flames. It screeched horribly and ran around, feeling it's head beginning to explode from such power, running away before it could cover the two men with its disgusting guts.

Constantine blew out some air as he picked Chat Noir up with his hand, giving him a sharp smile as he rubbed his hands together.

"I think it's time we reduced their numbers faster, mate. Let me give you a light." he offered as he then took his staff into his hands.

Chat Noir watched on as Constantine rubbed his hands all over the staff, even going as far as running his hands over its glowing tips. Constantine grinned as he put it back into the hands of its owner and pulled his hands off the tips, which were now alight like a flaming torch, while Constantine's hands were now glowing in the same colour of the flame. A nasty look crossed his face that went well with his smile. Chat Noir shared it in response as they faced the rest of the Ziszhui coming their way, now eager to unleash their new power on them.

"As corny as it may sound...burn baby burn!" Cat Noir crowed as he spun his staff around.

The staff became a fiery wheel of death circling around his hands, threatening to burn anyone alive who was foolish enough to come near it. He approached the Ziszhui, the spider-creatures shrinking back nervously at the flame wheel coming towards them. Constantine joined in on the approach, his fiery hands just as threatening to them. Cat Noir then hurled the staff at the Ziszhui, the steel pole spinning through the air like a shuriken and slamming into the Ziszhui one at a time. As the tips touched the creatures, they were instantly set alight and began screeching high-pitched wails as the flames ate away at their bodies. Constantine gave a flick of his wrists and sent fireballs slamming into his opponents, setting them alight too. The Ziszhui tried to put out the flames by rolling on the snow but it did them no good. Magical flames couldn't be put out so easily so they still continued to burn. Cat Noir was both fascinated and disturbed to see this, hoping he'd never be on the receiving end of those flames if even rolling in show didn't put them out. He was no cat on a hot tin roof as they would say. He and Constantine left the Ziszhui to burn, knowing they wouldn't be the last and there was still plenty more to face.

Over to White Lantern, he was attempting to contain the main threat once and for all. He had a shield construct to protect himself from anymore web shots from Abyss and just as she prepared to fire another, the Lantern of Life expanded the shield until it slammed into Abyss, nearly knocking her off of Feast. Now she was stunned and wasn't shooting web at him anymore, White Lantern could carry out his plan. The white-clad superhero concentrated hard as he began forming his next construct. He began to form a cuboid structure around Feast and Abyss. It started off as a simple cub at first but it gradually grew bigger and bigger the further it went along and then it started to form intricate details like solid pipes forming around all four sides and huge clamps wrapped around the pipes and riveted into place for extra strength and durability. And as usual, his construct was highly detailed with even tiny details like little notches and markings on the pipes and rivets. The construct had no doors or windows formed at all, just a solid cube-shaped prison with no way in or out as long as he kept it up. It was so big that Feast was completely enclosed and yet inside, it was too small for him to move an inch. The roof of the cage was so low that Abyss was force to lie down on her Sentimonster, unable to stand up. All she and Feast could see was white and nothing more. Feast struggled to move, shifting uncomfortably in the cage. It would never break the construct. It was too cramped and had no room to move to gain any momentum to even try and break free. It couldn't push against the roof or else it would squash Abyss against its back. Abyss snarled viciously, refusing to be defeated in such a humiliating fashion. No prison in the world could contain her, not even one made by a lantern!

"If you think you've got me trapped, you can think again!" Abyss growled savagely, "Feast, stay still and I shall give you the strength to break out!"

The giant frog stopped moving. Abyss planted her hands firmly against its head and fed some of her energy into the Sentimonster to charge him up and make him stronger. Feast croaked with glee, strangely seeming to enjoy the feeling of being supercharged by its master. As Feast grew stronger from Abyss's power up, it found itself able to push against the construct and make the walls buckle. It placed all four limbs against the walls and pushed. White Lantern watched, incredulous at what he was seeing. How could Feast possibly be breaking free?! His construct was as solid as could be and he was the most powerful Lantern in the galaxy! It should be impossible for that creature to break out! He tried to alter the construct to further contain the creature but it didn't do him any good. The construct exploded into fragments of energy that disappeared quickly and he was thrown back as Feast was freed from his prison. Cackling with delight, Abyss patted Feast's head softly.

"Good Sentimonster. I knew you could do it." she purred, "No prison can hold us, but I can hold them!" she added confidently.

Kyle groaned in frustration before he fired another shot from his ring to blast Abyss off, hoping she'd be knocked back from Feast and have him lose concentration without a master's guidance. Instead, though, Abyss raised a hand and, as if she was catching a ball with ease, blocking the beam of energy with nothing but her hand. She bit down on her lips, feeling just a slight push from Kyle's beam. It stung, for it was the power of the Life Entity that was fuelling him. But he was merely a tool. She was the embodiment of fear, born among many other forms from the Life Entity. This was nothing to her.

Abyss hung her free hand low and twirled her fingers around in the air, feeling it get sticky and wet as she then placed it onto Feast's skin. She felt him shiver and croak as his skin flashed red, getting a grin out of her.

"You can taste it, Feast. My power runs through you. Get rid of this pest with that power!" she commanded the giant frog, who curled his lips as a feeling came over his stomach.

It pressed its tongue down and opened its mouth wide. Kyle didn't have time to react as a giant ball of web came firing out of Feast's mouth, the whole thing slamming right into him and knocking him out of the air, sending him crashing against the wall of fire, the web latching in place to the wall behind the fire.

Kyle groaned as he opened his eyes to find himself inside a sticky thick wall of red webs, which held down on him hard, a thick piece of it tightening around the wrist that held his ring. He breathed heavily as he tried to concentrate his power to his ring, feeling the heat of the fire outside heating it up inside. He needed to get out before he was to pass out from such intensity!

Focusing hard, White Lantern was able to concentrate well enough in order to form a pair of knives with his ring and use them to cut himself free from the web. The energy constructs sliced through the web with ease, allowing him to peel himself away from the wall and escape the fire before it could get to him. He flew up high, frowning as he look down at Abyss again. The spider-girl didn't seem too annoyed that he'd been able to get away. If anything, she just seemed to be enjoying how she was keeping him on his toes and giving him a good fight. He clenched his fists, determined to finish the Kwami of Fear off for good.

"I may have thought the Yellow Lanterns and put a stop to their evil in the past but fighting a creature that represents fear is something else entirely." he murmured, "I wonder if fighting Parallax himself would be anything like this..."

That was enough to make his spine tingle. Just imagine Abyss meeting Parallax and becoming a Yellow Lantern! Sinestro would naturally refuse to let her oppose him but not even he would be able to handle the sheer power this creature had. Just the thought of Abyss as a Yellow Lantern was enough to have Kyle declare that Abyss had to be put down now before that opportunity could be made available to her. He formed a barrier around himself to stop anymore webs from getting to him and charged towards Feast. If it took all the powers of the Emotional Spectrum itself, he would not lose this fight! Not when the whole universe was at stake...

* * *

Back in Paris, the fight with the Tenshi-powered students, the Miraculers, Superman and Hudie against Manchester Black and the Ziszhui forces was continuing to go in their favour, but it wouldn't stay that way for long, not when Manchester had another ace up his sleeve he was about to use.

They were just seeing them being put to use right now, with the tentacles rising high in the air like a dark shadow covering the light of hope. Everyone froze in place as they realised just how big these things were. Superman spotted the closest tentacle that was ready to slam right onto the bulky form of Skullstone and instincts kicked in. Clenching his fists, he ripped right through the air towards the tentacle and sent his fist right into its face, sending it flying back from the teen that was nearly crushed by the huge monstrosity. He wasn't letting it have a chance to hit back though, his eyes heated up and beamed the streaking laser beams right into its face, burning right through the mass of the enemy, turning it to dark smoke with enough power from his eyes.

Sadly, this was just one tentacle, and the other three were already at work, targeting Techno for him being the biggest of the Champions. He didn't have time to dodge due to the speed the tentacle came at him, with it slamming right into him with full force like a muscly man just punched the wind out of a much more smaller man, causing him to crash against the rock wall behind him. Techno's head sored back and forth from the force of the punch, sparks flying around him as his robot began to malfunction. He didn't have time to react as the tentacle wrapped around the stomach of his giant robot body, bouncing his arms to his sides and stopping him from using his sword. Techno's cockpit was flashing red, showing he was in massive trouble right now, so he had to go to his next plan. He twisted the dial on his gauntlet, switching it to that of a bomb and a countdown on it. Setting it at nine seconds, Techno stood up and pressed the button on the panel next to him. The floor under him let off some steam, before a slight hum occurred under his feet that followed with the head of his robot opening up, releasing the daylight to his eyes. The countdown hit four, with Techno then springing off with a huge rocket launch from where he was standing, sending him flying into the outside, just in time to avoid getting consumed by the explosion that was set off by his robot, the fire eating away at the tentacle that had hold of it, making it retreat as it turned to dark dust.

Techno, mid air, focused his hold on the gauntlet and turned the dial to a robot body similar to the one he just had a arm canon. He pressed it, causing a glow to cover his body before a giant body of a robot took his place, spinning itself around before stamping its feet down on one of the remaining tentacles. He aimed his canon down at the exposed point and fired a purple blast onto the tentacle, tracing it back to where it was coming out of the ice ball, driving it away from the battlefield. Pulling his sword out, Techno looked around and spotted the last tentacle coming at him, but he was up for it, sending his sword out and slashing right through it, leaving nothing but a cloud of smoke in its place.

With the threat of the tentacles handled for a while, Superman went back to the ground where the Miraculers were. They gathered with him as did the Champions closest to them.

"Now we've got those to deal with! At the rate they regrow, Manchester can turn things in his favour!" Queen B yelled in frustration, getting a nod from Superman.

"Sadly so. The best we can do is try and keep them distracted as best we can." he said, a plan forming in his head right now. Petala looked thoughtful as she looked at her vines.

"Hey...you know, I could be of help, I could hold one of them down with my vines, try and poison them to slow it down while I've got it." she offered an idea.

Rena shrugged.

"Anything will be helpful. The source of their power is that seed. Carapace needs to get to it and put that poison on it." she stated.

Superman looked to Bunnyx at this, seeing what they could do.

"In that case we'll do our best. But don't see him in there alone, there could be more Ziszhui in there." he said sternly, Carapace's safety clearly on his mind.

"He won't go alone, we'll make sure of it." Bunnyx assured, looking to Rena Rouge to be sure of that, which she nodded.

Superman could see they were ready to get going with this idea, so he slowly took to the air, looking to Petala, Techno, and Super Nathan.

"Okay, you three, those tentacles are our focus! Give it your best!" he told them, his voice full of belief in them as he flew higher.

With the plan now formed, the heroes jumped back into action. It really was a case of do or die at this point and everyone was utterly determined that they'd save Paris and live to tell about it. Manchester just watched them all charging towards him with a casual smirk. He looked as if he was completely in control despite being heavily outnumbered and wasn't even fazed at the sight of so many super-powered beings coming towards him. He even gave a mocking yawn as if the whole thing was starting to bore him.

"I'd almost feel sorry for the twerps if it wasn't so much fun kicking the shit out of them." Manchester sneered, "Ah well, fun time's over. Time to put these miserable bastards out of their misery."

He commanded one of the tentacles to lunge forward in an attempt to knock as many of the Tenshi-powered students as possible. But as the tentacle came close to them, Bunnyx opened a portal ahead of everyone, causing the tentacle to miss completely. To add insult to injury, Bunnyx opened another portal directly beside Manchester so the tentacle punched him instead. He was thrown off his feet and sent hurling towards the Louvre nearby. Before the tentacle could retract, Bunnyx closed the portals so it ended up severed in half. The dismembered tentacle collapsed onto the ground, unable to continue the fight. While Manchester was momentarily stunned, the other tentacles were left wondering what to do next. The Miraculers took advantage of their distraction by carrying out their plan. Petala summoned a vine and made it grow to the size of the tentacles they were fighting against and commanded it to wrap around one of the tentacles. The vine constricted tightly around the tentacle and dug its thorns deep into its skin. The tentacle squirmed but couldn't break free of the vine. The moment its thorns sunk into it, the vine released its poison and the tentacle was instantly paralyzed by it. Then the vine pulled the shadowy appendage down and pinned it to the ground, holding it firmly so as to keep it there until the poison finished it off.

While that was happening, Superman unleashed the full power of his laser eyes to dismember as many of the tentacles as he could. He kept his position up high so that he didn't have to aim at the bottom of the tentacles and risk hitting any of his friends. From where he was, he could easily cut them in half and never be in danger of hitting an ally. The searing hot lasers burned through the tentacles effortlessly, destroying them in seconds and reducing them to nothing. But as Superman knew, it was only a temporary solution to the problem as the magical limbs just kept growing back like some twisted enchanted tree in a fantastical forest. The whole thing reminded him of one of Wonder Woman's deadliest enemies, the many-headed Hydra. Many times had she recounted during Justice League meetings her crusades against the creature and how any time she cut off its head, two more would grow in its place. The tentacles were just the same, constantly growing back every time they were cut down. Wonder Woman had been able to slay the Hydra so he was sure he could stop the seed's power and stop the tentacles from growing. He briefly glanced down to see Bunnyx opening a portal for her and Carapace to go into. Superman allowed himself a brief moment of relief, knowing that the next stage of the plan was in action. This would be over soon, or so he hoped. He and the others just had to keep fighting a little longer, that was all.

Down below, Bunnyx stood beside Carapace as he got his shield ready while the rest of their friends held off the Ziszhui that was trying to reach them.

"Here, one way ticket inside the ice ball!" she told him, her umbrella ready as she was about to jump through with him. Hudie, however, then stepped between her and him, a sharp look on his old face.

"No, Bunnyx. You shall not go, I will. I can help Carapace use the poison correctly. Plus, the way you weaponised your portal could be helpful for everyone out here." he said in a wise tone, though his eyes were showing great persuasion with his voice. Bunnyx didn't look convinced though.

"No offence, but you might run into some trouble in there, Carapace might need someone of his age to go in there and cover him." she said back, not noticing the growing annoyed look on Carapace's face at the fact there was now an argument growing. He decided to make his mind up himself, so he grabbed Hudie by his hand pulled him towards the portal, much to their shock.

"Buns, you're more useful out here and the world doesn't have time for an argument of young versus old! Be back soon!" he bid, jumping through the portal with the slightly impressed Hudie. With them gone, Bunnyx stood there looking rather dumbfounded for a moment before sighing in slight defeat.

"Well...at least he wasn't making a nineties reference" she said with slight pleasure.

She then gasped as a shadow grew over her, so she flipped back to avoid getting crushed by the slashed tentacle coming her way. The dust cleared as did the severed tentacle, giving her a chance to see Super Nathan standing on his hoverboard with a giant pair of scissors. She gave him an annoyed look.

"Watch it, Super Artist!" she yelled, getting an apologetic look from him.

Inside the giant ice ball, Carapace and Hudie exited their portal and almost shivered at the change in temperature. Carapace rubbed an arm of his and blew out some air.

"Phew...Supes sure knows how to drop the heat!" he said as he shook his legs to get some heat going.

"Yes indeed. Still, at least we know where we are." Hudie replied in a glad tone as he pointed ahead of them.

Following his hand, Carapace needed to stop his excited gasp as he saw the dark covered Eiffel Tower right in front of them, looking like a splotch of poison in the middle of the soft white ice. Grinning, Carapace looked to Hudie.

"Jackpot! Right, so if I remember correctly, the seed is right in the middle of the ground under the centre of the tower." he said as he and the Asian man walked towards the towering mass of darkness. Hudie nodded.

"Yes, it won't be that hard to miss, you'll see a ripple coming from the centre, you'll easily find it." he said in assurance as he walked with him.

Of course, it was never easy, for they ended up hearing the peeling of wax of sorts coming from the tower, making them stop in their tracks as they looked up, their bodies going stiff in alarm as they tried to see the source of the sound. They nearly cringed as several Ziszhui began to peel themselves off from the tower, dripping in dark liquid as they looked down at the two intruders, eyes narrowing at them. Carapace nervously looked to Hudie when he pulled his shield up.

"Okay...you're good at fighting, right?" he asked as the Ziszhui began to crawl down the tower, their weapons ready. Hudie spun his staff around his hands and held it in a defensive stance.

"I can still use a few skills. The seed is our main goal, try and get to it!" he declared as he and the turtle styled hero readied themselves, facing the incoming monsters that were wanting to cut them down.

* * *

Back in Tibet, the fight was starting to get wild. Ladybug had to try hard not to let her small size be a disadvantage to her with how deep the snow was, because the Ziszhui she was fighting was certainly using this to get the upper hand on her, pushing down on her with all four arms it had, burying her in the snow up to her thighs. The Ziszhui then pulled back two of its arms and went to slash her from the sides. Ladybug quickly reacted, springing herself out of the snow and flipped over its head, slashing her blades in a twist of her body, cutting its head in half. Planting her feet in the ground, Ladybug panted as the Ziszhui dropped into the snow with a thud. Of course, it wasn't done yet as another fired a web at her, intending to web her up. It didn't hit its target for Ladybug slashed the web down before shooting her self forward and jammed both her blades into it, killing it straight away.

Constantine released another shot of fire right at a Ziszhui coming close to him, watching as the shot of flame went right into its mouth. It dropped its swords and ran its hands all over as a fiery heat tore through its body, beginning to tear right through its skin from the inside with flame light coming through it. It screamed in agony as it fell apart, unable to contain the heat anymore. Constantine turned to face his next target, but he found it was too close for comfort, as a Ziszhui jumped right in front of him. The detective looked alarmed at first but began to swiftly twirl his hands to burn it down, but he wasn't fast enough as the Ziszhui slashed two of its blades across his legs. Constantine let out a cry of pain as the blades cut deep into his skin, making him drop to his knees with his face twisted in agony, blood pouring across his black trousers. His hands list their flame as he began to clutch the wounds, hissing at the stinging. The Ziszhui want letting him have a moment though, for it raised its swords high above his head, ready to cut him down. However, the Ziszhui gotten a different result, for Chat Noir tossed his baton into its stomach, making it scream as it the flames eaten it all over, turning it to dust.

Chat Noir ran to Constantine's side, putting a supporting arm around his shoulder as crouched beside him. Constantine chuckled through his pain, giving Chat Noir an assuring look,

"Pretty sure I won't die here, mate. Too bleeding brilliant to die," he said in assurance, only to get an annoyed shake of the head from Chat Noir.

"Don't give me that, you're hurt! I'll protect you the best I can!" he said as he stood up with his baton ready, faving against the remaining four Ziszhui coming their way with a burning fire running through him to protect his friend.

Up in the hiding place, Emilie watched as Duusu munched down on the last of the biscuits, her face now looking more hardened as she felt her energy run through her.

"Emilie, I'm ready. Let's get down there!" she said eagerly, leaving a smile on the woman's face.

"Alright, little one. Duusu-"

"Emilie, wait!" Nathalie interrupted, getting her attention.

The blonde woman turned to the secretary, wondering what she wanted. She'd better be quick as now wasn't exactly the best time to have a chat. Duusu folded her arms impatiently.

"Can YOU wait instead?" she muttered, "We're needed out there."

"I know, it's just I really have something I need to say first." Nathalie said solemnly.

"Very well, what is it?" Emilie asked.

She could see from the look in the black-haired woman's face that for the first time in a while, maybe months or years, that she was allowing herself to let her emotions out. Last time Emilie had ever seen Nathalie, she'd always had a stone-faced look that wouldn't have looked out of place on a statue. Now she was looking and acting like a real person, something she never thought she'd see again.

"I'll try to be as brief as I can." Nathalie began, her eyes beginning to well up, "I really have no excuse for how I've been with your son during your absence. Being as cold and unfeeling as I have to not stopping Gabriel sooner with his mad scheme to seize the Miraculouses and causing so much pain and misery as Hawk Moth, which resulted in the death of Chloe Bourgeious...I've truly been the worst secretary you could've hired. I would've happily stepped in to save Adrien from your husband's evil if I'd had the chance. I...I am truly sorry for everything Emilie."

And for the first time in Emilie's life, she actually saw the poor woman shed a tear. She was trying to keep herself from outright breaking down but some of the tears still escaped her eyes. Nathalie looked down at the ground, unable to look her employer in the face anymore. However, Emilie had no ill feelings towards Nathalie for she placed her hands on her shoulders and gave her a soft, gentle look. Dusuu hung by her shoulder to see where this was going.

"I'll admit, I did want you to do better." she began, "I wanted nothing more than for my son to get the best treatment he could get and it disappointed me that you and Gabriel let me down in that regard. But I hold nothing against you Nathalie. You was never a willing accomplice to my husband and you never intended any of this to befall us. You shouldn't hold yourself responsible for everything. You feel you can be better? I'd say now's the perfect time for that. Are you willing to help me in defeating that vile Kwami?"

The spectacled woman looked back into her employer's eyes, surprised that she'd been taking it so well. She'd expected a violent put-down or a long-winded lecture of some kind. Then again, she knew as well as anyone just what a kind and understanding person Emilie was. Only she could ever be so forgiving to someone like her. Wiping her eyes, Nathalie nodded.

"I'll do whatever I must." she declared, "I'll be right beside you in ending this nightmare."

Emilie beamed with delight.

"That's just what I wanted to hear!" she said happily, "Now it's time we showed Abyss why she should never have kidnapped us."

She turned to Dusuu.

"Dusuu, spread my feathers!" she commanded.

Dusuu was sucked straight into the Peacock Miraculous and Emilie was transformed instantly into the blue-clad Miraculer, La Paon. Her skin had turned light blue and her eyes were a pinkish-purple colour that gave her a very fantastical look. Her costume consisted of a skin-tight blue leotard and thigh-high boots, long gloves that reached her biceps and a cape shaped like the tailfeathers of a peacock. Her weapon was a fan that carried over the peacock theme in its design and carried a pink gem in the centre. Once the transformation was finished, La Paon turned to Nathalie, the spectacled woman glad to see her ready for action once again.

"Now to give you an upgrade too." the peacock Miraculer said with a smile.

Down below, Ladybug and Kagami we're fighting back to back against the remaining three Ziszhui that was coming around them. The blue haired girls readied their blades for what was to come next, knowing it'd be fast and they'd have to react quickly. The three Ziszhui stood where they were before they fired webs at the girls, intending to web them up. Ladybug reacted first, pushing her blades up to block the incoming attack. She allowed its web to wrap around her blades, while Kagami allowed the same with her sword. The girls ducked under the third web and pulled the two forward, causing the Ziszhui to crash into each other over their heads while getting caught in the web fired by the third, which retracted its web in panic before realising its mistake, for it was then flattened by the weight of the other two, both of whom were dead from the impact.

Kagami panted but smiled, giving it to Ladybug, who shared it in response. They were cut short though as Kyle now created a construct of a machine gun, firing right into Feast and Abyss as hard as he could, the constant hits he was making on them was enough to actually blind Abyss's vision, making her lose sight of Kyle as he fired more onto her. Ladybug and Kagami used this to run to Chat Noir amd Constsntine, who were dealing with their last Ziszhui, which threw its swords right towards them in a desperate attempt to gut him. Chat Noir ducked from the swords and sent his baton up into its chest, causing his fire to burn right through it, making it cry out in pain as it was turned to chunks of flesh.

The leather clad hero panted hard, his legs tired and giving way, sinking into the snow beside Constantine, but Ladybug caught him before he could fall right into it. A soft look was shared between the two lovers, silently thankful both were alive. Their ears, however, drew their attention away from each other as they heard Abyss yell in frustration from the constant hits she was taking from Kyle, sinking her head down to Feast's. Her eyes opened and Feast glowed red at this. He croaked as his tongue shot out and clutched around Kyle's body, leaving only his head free from the tongue while his construct faded. Ladybug and Chat Noir gotten up to charge at Abyss, but the spider woman saw them coming and swiftly sent two webs out, slamming into them like bullets and knocking them off their feet. Kagami quickly went to pull the webs off the two, though Abyss wasn't interested as she looked up at Kyle, nothing but a twisted sense of glee in her eyes.

"You're all mine, Lantern. It's been a long time since Feast has eaten humans. You'll do well for a meal." she said with delight as Feast began to pull Kyle closer, frustrating the White Lantern enough for him to try and focus more power to his ring as he was eager to get out of the tongue of this creature.

Abyss watched on with a smile as Kyle tried his hardest to get himself free from the grip of Feast, reminding her of how those Guardians were when she pulled them from Feast's stomach and ducked their insides out when she webbed them up. She could only wonder if she could use the ring for herself for its power grew on her during this fight. She'd love to pay a visit to the very being that birthed her among many others with his ring...

But this left her mind as suddenly, her whole vision went black. Black as in she was now sealed inside a box with no light coming in. This left her confused, for Kyle just vanished from her eyes and even the snowy surroundings. It was like she was just sucked into another reality, with only herself and Feast...who's tongue retracted with no White Lantern in it.

Of course, Abyss thought she was transported somewhere else but she actually wasn't. She was still there, right in front of everyone, only her eyes had turned black while she looked around in confusion. This left everyone around her looking confused, even Kyle, who was freed from Feast's tongue. He looked around in uncertainty as he tried to figure what was going on. Constantine was the first to notice what had actually gone on and he smiled through the pain in his legs as his eyes caught sight of two blue figures flying down to them.

"Look up lads, we got help!" he cried, getting them to look up.

Everyone gasped in awe at the sight of La Paon, her cape acting as a glider of sorts as she floated down beside them. Chat Noir looked on with pride as he saw this was his mother, who gave him an assuring smile as she reached the snow, her eyes comforting. They noticed the other blue figure beside her, this one clearly a woman. She looked to be wearing a dark blue bodysuit with a red v-neck marking, while there were peacock patterns on her arms and stomach with the colour red, including one on the slim helmet that covered her eyes with a visor. There was a pair of glasses on her chest, which looked familiar. La Paon looked to her with a slightly concerned look.

"Shader, you doing okay with the merge with the Sentimental?" she asked. She got a nod from the helmeted woman.

"Yeah, it's working well. She's still stuck in the dark sight I put over her eyes." she said, her voice familiar to Chat Noir as it hit him what had happened.

He didn't have time to ask though, for La Paon faced Feast with her face turning hard.

"Now then...it's time you ceased your rampage. Release your Amok!" she commanded, sending out her fan, the Peacock tails on it glowing red.

For a second, Feast stopped moving. Everyone watched on when he then began to shift and sunk over, its mouth curling from what it was doing. Then, with a loud burp, Feast opened his mouth and out came a wooden staff that held a gem at the top of it, landing right in front of La Paon's feat. The gem flashed from blue to turquoise, its blue energy flying out of it as it produced a feather of sorts. Ladybug realised what this was. Standing up with ease, she turned her Ladyblades back into her yoyo before she spun it around her.

"Time to de-evilise!" she yelled, throwing her yoyo at the feather, which was scooped up by the yoyo. Ladybug spun it around several times over her head, a feeling of energy coming over her as she knew what to do now. Pulling the yoyo back in her hands, she opened it up, releasing the feather from the yoyo.

"Bye bye, little feather!" she said sweetly as it flew off into the wind, free to fly in the world.

Ladybug then shot her yoyo in the air.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" she yelled, watching as her yoyo shot out its magical pink energy, which went right over to Feast.

It wrapped around him like a tornado before it faded, leaving nothing but Abyss to drop out of the air, landing right in the snow. The swirl of energy then flew over Constantine's legs, with his injuries healing up. He blew out some air as he lost the pain, seeing the energy go into Ladybug's yoyo. He gave her a smile as she pulled her yoyo down.

"Thanks for that, luv." he said with kindness, standing up with his new strength.

Ladybug felt a strength of her own come over her as she and Chat Noir turned to La Paon, who smiled at them.

"That was great timing, Emilie!"

"You sure knew the right things to say, mom!" they both said, getting a shy look from the blue woman.

"Well, I'm glad I haven't lost my talent in the Miraculous department." she giggled before turning to the one thing that was in their sight, the form of Abyss beginning to pick itself up. The others followed her gaze, their excitement exiting them as they saw it wasn't other yet. Kyle raised his hand as his ring glowed.

"Let's finish this monster off." he said sternly, wanting to get in there to finally end Abyss' terror. They nodded, all of them standing together as they faced her, ready to give her what she deserved.

Yet once they began to move forward, they stopped as a soft laughter escaped the throat of the Kwami. It was a laugh as if she heard a really good joke and was laughing at the taste of it. It was as if Abyss just gotten the biggest treat in her life. Then it sounded pitiful once she raised her head, her eyes full of glee as she raised her hands.

"You fools. You really think you've won just because you ended Feast? You think because I'm alone you've got a chance? I'm a Kwami. I am immortal. What hope do you have in beating someone who won't die? This is your end. Your end is my beginning." she told them, her voice now full of excitement as she bared her teeth, the fight far from done.

* * *

_**Feast has been vanquished and Abyss is left having to fight on her own. But that won't mean she's defeated. There's still the chaos in Paris and Abyss is a Kwami, she won't go down without a fight. So will Abyss turn everything around? Or will it be the end for her at last?**_

_**Tune in for the final showdown between our heroes and the forces of Abyss...**_


	10. Chapter 9: For the Fate of the World

_Chapter 9: For the Fate of the World_

Immortal.

Abyss's words were as chilling as the snow around them all, adding up to it was her calm stance on where she was, for she stood still, her hands raised and threads of web lowering from her fingers into the snow below her. Ladybug, however, stood equal in a position opposite her, raising her Ladyblades.

"We'll see about that!" was what she simply called back, her friends still full of energy as they stood beside her.

Chat Noir twirled his baton around, Constantine rubbed his hands together and felt them burning as he restored his own magical touch, La Paon felt her fan sharpen, Kagami's jewel in her sword glowed, Kyle levitated off the ground and Shader readied her visor for another blast.

Their hearts beating faster, the heroes ran right at Abyss, their weapons ready to hit her at any moment. The spider woman just stood there, though, a smile on her face as she saw them coming closer towards her, not afraid with the large number she was up against. She felt her hands tingle as she felt a connection of sorts. Abyss then suddenly pulled her hands up, her red webs lifting up from under the snow, looking stiff at first. She then pulled her hands together and the webs followed, cutting right to the heroes, who noticed the webs coming at them.

"Everyone, move!" Chat Noir yelled as he jumped forward, Ladybug, Shader and La Paon following after him, while Kyle flew above the webs, with Constantine and Kagami sliding underneath them...

Some weren't fast enough, for the webs made contact with the legs of Ladybug and Chat Noir while hitting La Paon across the stomach. Their eyes widened as they felt something slice right into their skin, with trails of blood shooting right out of them, flesh exposed under cut spandex and leather. The injuries they received made them come crashing into the snow on their sides, crying out in pain at the wounds they suffered, stinging from the bitter cold of the snow. Shader landed on her feet, having avoided being hit, but this didn't stop her and the others looking at their injured comrades, who clutched at their wounds.

Chat Noir tried to ignore his pain as he crawled to his girlfriend and mother, turning them onto their backs so as to stop the stinging their wounds were getting. Gasping, they looked down to see their injuries cut deep, forcing them to bite down on their teeth to stop themselves from crying out. Abyss laughed from where she was, raising her hands with the threads if web following them.

"My webs do a lot of damage. It'll take you a lot slower to heal up. Best you do so as well, Emilie, you're the only one I really need." she informed them, with their respective colours glowing only slightly as they tried to heal up their wounds. Kyle scowled angrily at this before looking at Abyss.

"Stay down, guys, we'll get her!"

She then launched another attack with her webs, throwing her right arm towards Constantine and Kagami while throwing her left arm towards Kyle and Shader. The four of them did their best to dodge them, with Kyle flying in between the gaps of the threads while Constantine formed a flame barrier around himself and Kagami, melting the webs before they could even hit them both. Kyle followed up with a construct of a sword, slicing through the webs with ease, giving them all an opening to attack her. Constantine threw a flame at her, but Abyss swatted it aside before shooting her leg up and kicking Shader away when she got closer, before jumping over the sword construct Kyle slashed at her, firing a web down at him from above. Kyle felt the web pierce his foot, making him cry out as he saw blood seeping onto his white boot, but this did little to make him loose concentration as he slashed the web off with his construct, freeing him from Abyss's grip.

While he tried to pull the thread out of his foot, Kagami ran past Kyle towards Abyss once she landed, her sword glowing as it extended into a dagger tail. Abyss saw her too late as Kagami slashed her weapon out, watching as it surrounded Abyss, going around her back before flying right around to her front, where it found its target. Kagami watched on as the sword ran right into Abyss's chest under her large breasts, seeing her sword sticking out the other side of Abyss. The blue haired girl was sure she just dealt the Kwami a nasty blow, seeing she slumped forward slightly. But her heart froze as she saw the spider woman raise her hands slowly, putting them onto the sword that ran right into her. She smiled as she pulled the sword out of her chest, seeing it left no wound under her large round breasts. She gave Kagami a smirk.

"I am immortal, little one. Forgot that?" she taunted.

Kagami couldn't respond as Abyss then pulled her forward by the sword, ripping her off the ground at high speed. Kagami quickly fought back by putting her feet forward and kicking Abyss in the stomach, pushing herself away from her with a back flip and pressed the button on her sword to recall it. Abyss responded by sending her hand out and her threads of webs slashed through Kagami's leotard, making the girl cry out as she was knocked away from her, a slight cut running over her stomach as she was sent flying back.

Constantine wasn't done though, for he charged a construct made by Kyle with his fire, this construct being a flamethrower. They fired right onto Abyss, who didn't look the slightest bit concerned as her whole body was consumed by the fire. Her eyes narrowed in on them, walking calmly towards them like she was having a nice walk in the park. Of course, she noticed a blue figure running towards her from the left. The Kwami giggled at this, seeing the figure get closer. She then latched her hand out and squeezed it around the neck of Shader, who let out a strangled cry of shock as the Kwami caught her. Shader tried to meet her face, but Abyss was quick to punch her right in her own, stunning her enough for Abyss to turn her around in her hand and aim her towards Constantine and Kyle.

"Look away!" Shader exclaimed frantically, knowing what was coming next.

Unfortunately, Constantine and Kyle weren't able to react in time and they were hit by the black, shadow blast of Shader's blinding attack. The White Lantern and occult detective staggered back, clutching their eyes and groaning in pain. To them, it felt as if somebody had punched them in both eyes and now they couldn't see because of it. Luckily, it was only temporary and they'd have their vision restored eventually but it would take time to wear off. Now they couldn't see, they couldn't aim for Abyss and would have to rely on their other senses to carry on the battle. Shader gasped, feeling guilty for her power being used against her friends and she wrestled free of Abyss's grip by elbowing her in the mouth. Despite being an immortal creature fuelled by fear, Abyss was surprised at how the elbow strike actually managed to hurt her. She clutched her mouth, feeling to see if any teeth had been broken. Now free, Shader spun on her heel and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick scything through the air into the side of the arachnid woman's head. Abyss was momentarily stunned by the blow and staggered to the side trying to get the world to stop spinning. Shade grabbed her opponent by the shoulders and tried again to blind her with her power but instead she was the one who was blinded as Abyss recovered in time to cover her visor with a web. Shader cried out in alarm and tugged on the web to try and regain her vision.

Abyss turned away from Shader and skittered quickly towards White Lantern. She wanted to take advantage over his blinded state the most as he was the most powerful opponent on the field to deal with. If she could kill him, nobody else would have even an inkling of a chance against her. But Kyle had experienced being blind before. There was one time where the Justice League had been attacked by the Legion of Doom. Said attacks had come from Batman, who had wisely pointed out that should the League ever be corrupted and turned evil, there had to be contingencies in place for each member so they could be incapacitated quickly and effectively until they were restored to normal. It had been a unanimous decision on the entire League as they agreed such a thing should be shared between them. The contingency for Green Lanterns was a post-hypnotic suggestion that would render them blind due to believing they were so. As scary as it had been at the time, Kyle had learnt how to deal with being blinded so he was already prepared for Abyss's next attack. He allowed his hearing to pinpoint where she was and used his ring to guide him. He dodged to one side as Abyss lunged for him, causing her to miss. Then he spun around and his ring aimed him towards where Abyss was standing. A blast of white energy shot out of the ring and slammed into the centre of Abyss's back. The spider-woman cried out as she was thrown forwards and slammed into a snow pile nearby. White Lantern smirked, hearing what had happened and knowing he'd successfully hit her.

"A true lantern doesn't always need his sight to handle the enemy." he crowed.

He then held his hand out and looked at it. He could just about make it out, a straight white blur in front of his face. His vision was starting to heal, no doubt thanks to the ring accelerating his healing so Shader's power wouldn't effect him for as long as anyone else. He still couldn't see fully so he would have to keep relying on his other senses for now. He looked ahead as his ears picked up the sound of snow falling and Abyss growling angrily. He could see a pinkish red blurr up ahead, meaning that had to be her. Now he at least had a target to aim at, he summoned a construct of a giant missile with his ring and tossed it towards Abyss. The missile was the shape and size of a nuclear warhead and he was sure it would do the damage. Or at least it would've done if he actually hit her. Abyss saw the missile coming towards her and reacted quickly. She fired a bunch of webs towards the missile. They weren't just any webs, but razor sharp webs that could cut through anything. The webs effortlessly sliced through the construct, creating an explosion of white energy in the air. White Lantern felt the shockwave punch into him and grunted as he was brought down on one knee. He had hoped he would've hit her as he was so sure the construct would've done the damage. He looked back to where Abyss had been standing, noticing he could make her out more clearly this time. His surroundings were still a blur but he could at least see Abyss. The spider-woman was using her eight legs to jump into the air and throw herself towards the white-clad superhero. White Lantern raised his arm and quickly formed a barrier around himself. Abyss slammed into the barrier, grunting upon impact and jumped back. She rubbed her jaw to make the pain go and grumbled furiously. She then clawed at White Lantern's barrier, trying to break through it so she can get to him. Her efforts were futile as the barrier withstood the attacks. White Lantern then focused all his energy into making the barrier explode outwards. A huge fist of white energy slammed hard into Abyss, making her feel as if a tank had come rushing into her. The Kwami of Fear spiralled through the air, screeching at the top of her voice as she crashed down heavily into a pile of snow.

White Lantern smiled to himself. He was glad he could still land decisive blows like this on his opponent despite his vision not being one-hundred percent. He took a moment to look around again. Everything around him was looking more clear and he could make out the smaller details of everything from the texture of his costume to the snow he was standing in. He heaved a high of relief, glad that Shader's power was no longer affecting him. He could see clearly again and now he was going to show Abyss what she was in for. He propelled himself towards the Kwami, forming constructs that looked like giant metal fists around his hands and he slammed them both into the spider-woman. He twisted the constructs and pushed down hard, determined to grind her into the dirt. Abyss was now beginning to understand what it truly felt like to be a bug under foot. But of course, her immortality would prevent her from being crushed to death. White Lantern wasn't going to let that deter him as he drew the fists back and slammed them into her repeatedly. Receiving punch after punch after punch, Abyss was unable to fight back. She screamed and grunted with every punch she received.

"Hey Abyss, you're the Kwami of Fear! How does it feel to be getting your abdomen kicked?! I bet that's scaring the living crap outta ya!" White Lantern taunted between punches.

But Abyss suddenly reached up with her arm and fired a web up towards some nearby rocks and as White Lantern punched her again, it caused her body to jerk and yank on the web so it pulled the rocks down on top of him. The intergalactic space cop realized his mistake too late and stopped punching Abyss so he could brace himself for impact. The rocks crashed down on him, pinning him to the ground and burying him in the snow. Naturally, he wasn't killed by the impact as his ring protected him but he was stuck having to try and push them away for the time being. With Kyle momentarily out of commission, Abyss picked herself up and cricked her neck side to side. Despite how heavy the punches were and how numerous they had been, she was surprisingly still standing and already shaking the pain off.

"You should know by now foolish man, the personification of fear itself cannot fear anything in return." Abyss purred.

She turned towards Ladybug, Cat Noir and La Paon, the only opponents currently left standing. They stood in a line together, ready to fight some more.

"Do any of you truly think you can stop me?" Abyss hissed with confidence, "I held you prisoner for months Emilie and the other two are mere children! You may as well give yourselves up to me!"

"We wouldn't surrender to Darkseid himself and he was worse than you'll ever be!" Ladybug spat.

"I've been your prisoner and been separated from my son for too long Abyss." La Paon said coldly, "I am never going back in that cave with you, not now or ever!"

"You can fight us all you like, we'll never stop until you're defeated!" Cat Noir yelled.

The three Miraculers leapt towards Abyss, weapons in hand and ready to strike her down. They would defeat this monster, even if it cost them their lives...

* * *

Back in Paris, the fight was getting very intense for Carapace and Hudie, for they were facing the Ziszhui that came crawling off the darkened Eiffel Tower. Hudie spun his staff around and the butterfly wings on the tips came to life, flapping constantly as they were about to be used for a different matter. Carapace went first in the attack, throwing his shield out like a frisbee, aiming it at the ground and watching as it bounced up and tore into two of the Ziszhui nearest to him and Hudie, slashing them right in half once they made a hit. His shield recalled to him in time for Carapace to block an incoming shot of web with his shield raised, pushing his shield down to split the web from it before throwing it back out to that Ziszhui, sending its head flying off.

Hudie breathed steadily as a couple of Ziszhui cane at him with their weapons ready. He might've been nearly two hundred years old, but he wasn't done fighting in his life yet. Raising his staff, Hudie blocked the incoming blades, his body pushing down from the impact. Gritting his teeth, Hudie pushed his muscles to their limit, getting his body back in the air and his arms gripped tighter on the staff as the wings flapped faster. The Ziszhui were stunned from this, for they didn't think such an old man could put up a fight. Hudie then turned his staff in a rotation at a quick speed, the wings slashing in their flapping as they slashed right over the faces of the Ziszhui, blinding them. Hudie, freed from the weight of their blades, let out a cry of pride as he then rammed his staff into the gut of one of the spider warriors. The Ziszhui lost all feeling as it felt a literal pair of butterfly wings tear through its stomach, Hudie pushing them out to the gut of the creature before slashing it up across the chest of the other Ziszhui, causing blood to spit right out, sending it crashing into the ground.

Hudie saw there was only two left at the moment just for him and Carapace, who gave him a grin as a idea came over his head. Hudie could only guess what it was when he saw Carapace aim the shield to him, with him following up by running right at Carapace and planting his feet onto the shield and pivoting off of it, spinning his staff in the air as the butterfly wings slashed right down towards the Ziszhui to the right. It couldn't react fast for it found itself split in half from the head to its mid section, while Carapace brought his shield down onto the other's head, which split open upon getting hit by the shield, making it fall onto its back in defeat.

On his feet, Carapace let out some breath as he patted Hudie on the back.

"Now that is an example of age just bring a number! Badass, dude!" he praised the elderly man, who giggled at his comments.

"Heh, I'm just as impressed as you are. Might have to get out in the field with you more after this!" he said kindly as they saw they were now right under the overarching entrance to the tower. They could see the seed right there, sticking out of the ground like a small rocket pointing to the sky. Carapace looked at his shield and turned one of the shell marks, pulling out the glass bottle that contained the poison.

"Right, this is it. I just put it on it, yeah?" he asked the elderly master, needing sone clarification, not seeing the rising shadowy figures coming out of the tower.

"Yes, now get going b-AGH!"

Hudie let out a cry of shock as another Ziszhui slammed down right in between them, its eyes staring right into Hudie's. Carapace was knocked back by the landing, giving him the chance to see more were coming down the tower. Hudie quickly shoved his staff into the Ziszhui's mouth, the wings tearing their way out through the other side of its head, killing it in seconds. Pushing it aside, Hudie have Carapace a hard expression.

"Run, Nino! Destroy the seed!"he ordered, his staff raised as he went to combat the other Ziszhui.

Carapace looked worried at the number of Ziszhui going after Hudie, but he had the key to victory right in his hand. If he wasted anymore time trying to help Hudie, he'd lose the poison. His face full of uncertainty, he turned to the seed, which was about thirty feet from him, surrounded by the dark liquid. Looking to his shield, Carapace felt his face harden as he threw his shield down onto the liquid.

"Gotta get this done!" He told himself, his choice made as he jumped onto his shield, using it as a boat so he could start making his way to the seed.

Outside, the fight was now a matter of a stalemate of sorts, Superman, the Miraculers and the Tenshis were just trying to hold back the Ziszhui and tentacles to give Carapace and Hudie time. Of course, they now had to put up with Manchester Black, who had pulled himself up to get back in, his eyes glowing angrily as he scanned the air for a certain blue and red hero. He was angry at seeing how persistent these teens were, just as stubborn as the Teen Twatans in America, and they certainly weren't slowing down as while they were now surrounded, they were putting up one heck of a fight against the Ziszhui, while those in the sky were giving the tentacles a hard time. Techno grabbed one tentacle and shoved his canon right into its front, firing away and reducing it to ash. The one that Petala had held down looked like it was rotting away, unable to fight on, while Super Nathan was using a flamethrower to burn down the third, with Superman punching the last one up in the air and shooting another blast of heat vision through it, slicing it down.

Manchester gritted Gus teeth as his hands glowed brightly, his eyes locked onto Superman and Super Nathan.

"THATS IT!" he shouted, his index fingers pointing up like a pair of pistols.

He fired a single blast from his fingers, the purple bolts tearing right through the air and sped right into their targets. Superman and Super Nathan cried out as the energy tore right over their bodies, numbing them. Concentration lost, they dropped out of the sky, their eyes closed as they tried to cope with the pain. They didn't get a hard landing, for Techno held his hand out and caught them both. Techno had his eyes zooming in on Manchester, who grunted as he saw the canon aimed right at him. He could only run as the canon fired down at him, not really able to create a big enough defence from the weapon. He was sent flying off his feet as the ground ripped up from beneath him, sending him flying under a piece of debris.

Techno made his huge form run over to the surrounded Miraculers and Tenshis, his feet crushing the Ziszhui in his way. Reaching his hand down, he gently slid Superman and Super Nathan off, seeing their eyes opening and their bodies only now slightly stinging from the pain Manchester used on them. Rena and Queen B ran over to them, helping both of the supers stand up steadily so they could ease themselves. Superman frowned as the pain wore off, looking up to see the tentacles were still re-growing.

"They just won't stop. Even if we cut them down far to the bottom, they just spring back up." he groaned, not liking how it was going.

Rena Rouge looked thoughtful as she took this in.

"It's gotta be to do with that Manchester Black. He did mention he is tied to the seed and its powers." she pointed out to him.

"Then get Bunny Girl here to open a portal to him and we can kick his ass ourselves!" Lightwing said, listening into what she was saying. Bunnyx shook her head.

"I could, but there's more of us around now, he'd use his powers to have you be used against us. There must be another way." she said thoughtfully, her mind occupied now.

Rena Rouge took this in and gazed down at her flute. Her mind began to spin with a plan now being formed. She realised this could be their one chance. She got hold of Superman by his arm and her eyes were full of determination, which he could see.

"I need you to provide a smokescreen for what I'm about to do. You think you can do it?"

"I'll see if it's possible." Superman said, hoping he didn't sound too doubtful, "What is it you need me to do?"

Rena quickly explained everything. Nodding, Superman mulled over the options quickly in his mind. A Kryptonian like him was a very fast thinker and he was able to run through everything he'd hear from the vixen girl as if his brain was a supercomputer. He concluded that the plan could possibly work.

"Like with any plan, it's possible it could go wrong but it's always worth a shot." Superman deduced, "You know, I think Lois would admire a bright young mind such as yourself if she were to meet you."

Rena blushed modestly. Her insides felt like jelly and she just wanted to squeal like there was no tomorrow. What other reaction could she have when she was being told by SUPERMAN HIMSELF that she was a bright, intelligent girl?! If she was at home right now, she'd be tempted to freak out about it on the Ladyblog. Of course fan-girling could come later, they had to save the world first so she kept herself calm and coughed in response.

"I really don't know what to say about that..." she said meekly.

"I think the look on your face says it all." Superman said brightly, "Now then, let's see if it works."

The caped Kryptonian flew up in to the air again while the Miraculers stayed on the ground. Manchester saw his blue and red nemesis flying up again and smirked with confidence. The poor bastard had to be close to exhaustion at this point! He would take him down! He wouldn't put up a fight for much longer!

"What's the matter you walking American flag?" Manchester taunted, "Can't lie down and die like a man, can you? I bet Abyss would love to feast on your fear of dying right now!"

Superman didn't say anything. Instead, he carried out Rena's plan. He blew hard out of his mouth, creating an icy wind that threatened to turn everything into a polar ice cap. But at the same time, he fired his heat vision from his eyes and aimed at the ice breath. The simultaneous use of powers started to create a mist that began to obscure everything around Manchester and he grunted in annoyance as he found himself unable to see. The mist was so big that Manchester was now unable to see anything further than his own hand. The tattooed man scoffed, realizing that this was seriously Superman's plan and that he didn't have anything better to try.

"Seriously? You think a little mist will stop me?" he sneered, "It's not like I even need my eyes to see where any of you are!"

Manchester walked right towards the mist, not even bothering to warm his arms up or his exposed torso despite the great drop in temperature. The Ziszhui followed him, hissing as they tried to see through the mist, for even they had trouble getting through the thickness the Kryptonian hero had made in front of them.

The British villain soon found himself standing at the top of a crater of sorts, making him stop where he was. Frowning, he peeked closer as he saw the mist began to clear in front of him. Figures began to emerge to his eyes, which began to widen as he made them out more clearly. He felt his lips twitching as he saw a big pit of bodies. Bodies of the teens that fought so hard against him. He could even see a few he recognised, Rena Rouge laying on her back with her head hanging lifelessly from her shoulders, Queen B was slumped against Super Nathan with blood running from her nose, Bunnyx was hanging from the web covering from her ankles, her body looking like it had its life sucked out of it, Petala and Beamer were laying side by side with deep cuts right over their necks, Skullstone's rock like body was split apart and had crushed Morpher, Lightwing was buried under Techno with his wings bent. What made Manchester grin the widest was seeing Superman laying there, his body out of energy, his body lifted by the webs over the crater, looking like Bunnyx was.

Manchester smirked as he gave a gun gesture to Superman's body.

"Heh, just like that, you gave up, mate. Typical yank, all macho and tough talking, but when the going gets tough, yer just another whimp" he taunted, his voice rising as he let it sink in that he had done it.

He'd defeated not only the Miraculers, but Superman. Finally, there would be a world where there wouldn't be a hero of false golden ideals. The world was his now. He would be the hero.

* * *

In Tibet, the fight was not over yet, for the last three Miraculous users were making a big charge towards Abyss, who stood there with a playful index finger of both hands whirling in the air as they felt a shiver run through them. She then fired two webs right at Ladybug and Chat Noir, wanting to impale them with her webs and take them out of the fight. However, Ladybug pulled her Ladyblades up in front of her like scissors, ducking under the web and slashing it to pieces, giving her a chance to get closer. Chat Noir sidestepped and sliced his baton down onto the web, turning it to ash with just a single hit. Abyss didn't have time to react as La Paon then split her feather fan in half while her cloak wrapped around her body. She shot off her feet and sent her hands out with her feather fan, her body spinning right at Abyss at top speed, tearing right into the Kwami like a knife.

The impact was enough to lift Abyss off her feet, ripping her through the air, driving her right into the wall of fire all around them. Abyss grunted as she hit the wall, her body growing hot as the flames bit into her. La Paon didn't stop there, for her cloak opened and she brought her heel down onto the spider Kwami's head, sending her crashing down onto the snow below. She didn't have time to react as Chat Noir then planted his staff right into her back, sending the glowing tip right right her body. She screeched angrily and in agony, before sending her legs up and kicking out, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying through the air, the staff getting pulled right out of her. Chat Noir landed on his feet his claws sharpened as Abyss pulled herself back up, scorch like marks on where she was stabbed.

Ladybug then stepped in, her Ladyblades slashing right against her body. They went right through her but this didn't stop Ladybug from kicking her feet up and sending her staggering back before slashing across the stomach. Abyss went to slash her with her claws, but Chat Noir grabbed her hands and dug his own claws into her wrists, pulling her hands down before whacking her across the face with his baton, leaving a dark scorch mark on her head. La Paon then went to slash her on the arms, but the Kwami had enough, for she grabbed La Paon's hand and twisted it down, pulling her forward into a painful headbutt, sending her staggering back. Chat Noir snarled angrily as he went to whack her again for what she just did, but she easily caught his staff and pulled him forward, slicing her claws right across his arm, his leather torn and blood running from his wound. Biting down, Chat Noir brought his feet up and kicked her in the face, but Abyss didn't seem bothered, for she grabbed his foot and threw him at back to his mother.

Ladybug gritted her teeth as she then sliced her blades right across her eyes, hoping to blind Abyss, but this did nothing, with Abyss kicking her feet out and hitting Ladybug's hands, sending the swords flying out of her hands, but Ladybug went on, landing a punch right on her face before going to punch her in the stomach, yet she found her fist caught by the Kwami, who grinned as she then squeezed hard on the blue haired girl's fist, making her cry out as she felt her fingers bend the other way. Abyss then pulled her right off her feet and headbutted her viciously, sending Ladybug flying right back at Chat Noir and La Paon, her hand throbbing as her fingers tried to get back in place.

"I don't know if this is a fight or a game I'm in right now. Either way, I'm thoroughly enjoying myself!" Abyss crowed, "You've all been most entertaining in your pitiful attempts to stop the inevitable fate that befalls your world! But as we all know, games are only fun for so long so it'll be best I end it now before it gets boring."

Ladybug picked herself up, softly rubbing her fingers as they slowly knitted back into place. Her ribbons had come undone again, leaving Ladybug's hair free-flowing in the wind that blew over them. With her hair down and the numerous other injuries that Abyss had inflicted on her, she looked a sorry sight to say the least and she was panting heavily, the fight clearly wearing her down.

"So this is a game to you?! You think you can just toy with us and call it a day?!" she cried, her voice hard and hoarse from the battle.

"Isn't that what I'm doing right now?" Abyss taunted.

"We'll see how fun you think it is when you're down and out for good!" Ladybug growled, her fingers back in place at last so she could move them as normal.

"Oh really dear, you have the Lantern of Life on your side and you're still no closer to defeating me. What makes you think things will change in your favour?" the spider-Kwami crooned smoothly.

"The fact we've actually found a way to hurt you." Ladybug noted.

It was now her turn to smile confidently as she noticed the look of horrified realization on Abyss's face. She'd noticed the same thing Ladybug had noticed. Some of the injuries she'd received from Cat Noir were still visible on her. The scorch marks from the feline hero's staff were ugly reminders that she wasn't invulnerable. Cat Noir smirked along with his girlfriend.

"Makes sense that the Kwami of Destruction can hurt you." he boasted, "Fear isn't indestructible either! We can destroy fear as easily as we can destroy a building! Seems we've got your Achille's Heel at last, although you lack heels yourself." he added tauntingly.

Abyss clenched her teeth angrily and narrowed her eyes. Her fists shook with uncontrollable rage. The Miraculers watched her with interest. Was it their imagination or did Abyss look...scared? She was trying to hide it with blind fury but they could see it in her eyes, from the way she was shaking. She was afraid and there was no denying it. The Kwami of Fear had something herself to fear.

"You think the powers of Plagg will magically fix everything and put me down?!" Abyss exploded, "I'll have you all bleeding on the floor before you get a chance to finish me off!"

"Oooh, she's getting pretty mad now!" Cat Noir sneered, "What's the matter? Is the Kwami of Fear suddenly getting afraid that she might not survive this battle?"

"How does it feel to be scared of something Abyss?" La Paon added, glad to finally stick it to her captor.

"I FEAR NOTHING! **I AM FEAR ITSELF!**" Abyss roared, throwing herself towards her opponents and bearing her fangs.

But before she could reach her targets, something shot out of nowhere and slammed into her, throwing her backwards and sending her crashing into a rock nearby. The rock was reduced to pebbles as Abyss hit it. Ladybug, Cat Noir and La Paon turned to see what had happened. Their eyes widened with delight as White Lantern hovered before them, his white glow as radiant and heavenly as ever and a construct of a giant baseball bat emitting from his ring. He'd managed to break out from under the rock pile and he stood beside the Miraculers, looking unhurt despite everything. He smiled, looking pleased with himself.

"I'd call that a home run." he remarked.

"White Lantern! Good timing!" Ladybug cried.

"We've found a weak spot on Abyss!" Cat Noir excitedly explained, "My powers are able to hurt her!"

White Lantern's face changed. He withdrew his construct and looked back to the teen heroes. He was no longer smiling. Instead, he looked serious as if this news didn't change anything.

"It's great there's a weak spot on her but it won't do us any good." he noted, "We can hurt her yes, but we won't be able to destroy her. It may as well not be a weak spot at all. If we could contain her in some way, that would do the trick."

"But we haven't got anything to contain her with." La Paon noted, "Your constructs won't stay up forever as we know and none of us can contain Abyss."

"Maybe we can..." Ladybug murmured thoughtfully.

Cat Noir beamed. He loved it when his girl was all thoughtful like that. She was always the smart one with the clever strategies in their previous battles with akumas and gods and villain organizations so he knew Ladybug was already thinking away on the perfect strategy on how to stop Abyss. A second or so later, Ladybug snapped her fingers.

"I think I've got it!" she cried.

"You have a plan? What is it, kiddo?" White Lantern asked.

She didn't need her Ladybug vision to tell her what she needed to look at. Her eyes trailed down to his ring and a tiny nerve of shyness came over her as she looked up at him.

"Kyle...I need something of yours".

That was all she needed to say. She just knew now on what to do.

* * *

In Paris, Manchester Black laughed loudly as he pointed a finger down at the dead webbed heroes in the crater, looking to the Ziszhui as they began to crawl over the web that held them down there, the mist around them still thick as they hungrily gazed upon their food.

"Feast upon their remains, mates! But spare me Superman's! I look forward to presenting to everyone he's fallen by my hand!" he said, hardly holding back his excitement as he saw victory just ever closer to his hands.

If only he saw a glowing yellow tip behind him in the mists.

Inside the giant ice ball, under the Eiffel Tower, Hudie was getting pushed back as the Ziszhui slashed their weapons at him, their hands like machines as they continued away at him. The old man was already sweating as he could only keep blocking their attacks the best he could while hoping for an opening or at least hoping Carapace was close to the seed. He nearly got a cut on the shoulder from one Ziszhui but dodged in time to quickly slip through the small space between it and another, his butterfly wings on his staff slashing it on the back and pushing it to the other, knocking it right into the other and sending it spinning onto its back. Now in the open, this gave Hudie the chance to cover more ground as he ran back from the remaining Ziszhui, his staff still out to defend him.

Carapace was using his hands as paddles of sorts to push him forward right at the seed, his face focused right on the seed as he got closer to it. He clutched the bottle tighter as he saw this was it. Just put the poison right on the seed and it'd be over. His shield was in bumping range as he got closer to it, so he began to unscrew the lid, not second guessing what he was doing. If only he did, he'd have seen the web reaching down to him from above.

Chest hard and his hands tight, Carapace stood up, his eyes right on the seed as he raised the bottle.

"Alright. Kiss goodbye to your crap, spiders!" he declared as he sent the bottle out, ready to release its contents onto the seed...only for the web to then latch right onto his ankle, pulling him up into the air.

Carapace gasped as he nearly lost focus, but he kept his hand out and as he went up in the air, he released the purple coloured poison right out into the air. Time slowed as it ran right out of the bottle, looking like it was about to drop onto the surrounding liquid. But he felt his chest release its intensity as the poison found its target.

Just a single touch from the tiniest droplet was enough. Enough to cause the seed to stop its ripples across the ground. Enough for it to shake as the poison ran right over it like cracks forming on a rock as it was being split open. Carapace's eyes widened as the seed continued to shake, like it was left out in the cold for months and was finally letting go of its grip on life.

It then stopped...and then it popped. Popped like a balloon that held water inside. Its dark remains went up in fire as the poison eaten the rest of it, ending its place on Earth.

This caused a reaction that greatly affected the whole surroundings, for the dark liquid that filled the underneath of the Eiffel Tower began to steam up fast, rising into the empty air as it was somewhat burnt off the ground like a plaster being peeled from a scratch, leaving only the grey concrete below. Carapace threw his fist out with a grin as the web around his leg then turned to dust, freeing him from its grip.

Carapace landed on his feet, where he ended up seeing just what the affect the seed's destruction was having in the battle. He could only look on in awe as the darkness covering the Eiffel Tower faded, bit by bit revealing its real golden look underneath. What's more though was that he saw the figures of the Ziszhui fighting Hudie ended up freezing where they were. A sense of confusion ran over him as he watched what was going on, not sure if he was seeing it right or if this was a trick...

It was no trick, for he and Hudie watched on in gladness as they saw the Ziszhui let out one last hiss as their skin began to turn to little pieces of dust, their remains softly being blown into the air as nothing was left from where they were standing, as if they never existed at all. Feet guiding him over to his elder master, Carapace saw the ever so present happy smile return to him as Hudie himself let it settle in on what just occurred.

It was having an affect outside as well, for suddenly, Manchester Black felt as if his whole head nearly exploded when he felt something burning inside of him. His face twisted in agony as he cried out in pain, his eyes wide as he staggered forward, nearly falling into the pit below. Voice shaky, he looked around as the Ziszhui with him began to turn to nothing but dust, their remains flying off into the air as their power was cut from them. He didn't even notice the glowing tip coming closer to him as he called out to the area around him, his body now shaking.

"Abyss!? ABYSS!" he screamed as his eyes focused right onto the pit of bodies on front of him, a twisted feeling of horror coming over him as the bodies turned to nothing but orange smoke, like they were never there. An illusion. Manchester's face dropped as the figure came closer behind him, her weapon going right for his back.

"VENOM!" Queen B shouted as she then planted the stinger right into his back, her energy running right through him.

His back threw itself towards her, Manchester's eyes wide in horror as the numbing feel ran right through him. He could only let out a cry of agony as his knees lost all feeling in them, causing his legs to bend forward. Hands shaking as numbness overcame him, Manchester fell right into his side, his eyes not able to close as he gazed up into the sky, where he saw his huge tentacles turn to dust, their forms unblocking the sun in the sky, shining down upon Queen B as she gave him a smirk. To make it even more frustrating for him, Manchester soon had them all in his sights standing over him. Even Superman stood with them, his eyes full of pleasure and pride as he looked over the result of the faith and teamwork he had with Rena Rouge, who stood by his side with a smile of her own, the sunlight bright as the Ziszhui's remains were no longer seen.

They had won. Manchester was defeated. Paris was free.

* * *

It wasn't done in Tibet, not yet. But for Abyss, she could go on longer. She might've been in a daze for a minute, but it wasn't enough to bring her down. Anger ran through her as she remembered what had occurred and what Ladybug found out. The Kwami got to her feet, her claws sharpened as she thought of Chat Noir, his Ladybug realised he could actually hurt her. Eyes zooming to her wounds, she hissed as she began to walk off the shattered rock she was thrown upon. Fantasies were already running through her head as she thought of making Chat Noir use his power on Ladybug, to see that annoying smile of hers fade from her face as she died, to hear him scream in agony and despair at the loss of his lover, to watch his mother cry out in horror as she would kill him in his grief. She would make them suffer.

She would've made them suffer if any of them were there at least. Her red eyes widened as she saw none of them were there. No Ladybug, no Chat Noir, no White Lantern, no injured...they were gone. Like they weren't even there. Her eyes looked all around, her chest heaving in and out as she tried to find them. Did they just decide to run? Where were they?

Her pincers planted in the snow, but they helped her sense she stepped on something else. Looking down, she saw the two ribbons of Ladybug's hair, unmanaged from the fight. Her eyes narrowed, confusion coming over her. It was foolish of Ladybug to leave that behind. She could easily use that to find her. She just had to pick it up and smell it. Then she'd know.

If only she didn't bend over. For what followed was like being pelted by bullets. Rising from the snow were several figures, all of whom went into the attack. Kagami whipped her sword out and slashed Abyss on the forehead. It did nothing to bother her, but a flame blast from Constantine knocked her back a bit, the fire turning to smoke as she waved her hands. She opened her eyes in time to see two more figures coming right at her. First came La Paon, who brought her feather fan out to stab her. Second was Shader, who's visor began to flash. Abyss reacted quickly, reaching her hands up and catching the two women by their necks, stopping them from coming further. This didn't stop one of them though, for Shader's visor then let out a flash right at Abyss, who tried to close her eyes before it could hit her. She only succeeded slightly as she closed her two right eyes but not her left ones, which turned black upon getting hit. She cried out in pain as she felt her head beginning to spin, not before clamping her hand over the visor to stop her from trying again.

Abyss snarled as she glared at La Paon, her remaining eyes now angry as she began to squeeze harder around her neck.

"What were you hoping for, Emilie!? What was this all for!?" she demanded, a slight taunt in her voice as she questioned her.

Despite the grip on her, La Paon ended up grinning at her as her eyes sparked in gladness.

"A distraction." was all she said, getting a frown from Abyss as she could only wonder what she meant.

Then it came as a dark figure stormed right towards her, his hand pulled back as it glowed. Abyss gasped in shock as Chat Noir leapt at her, very close now. He grinned as he sent his claws down with one word escaping his mouth.

"CATACLYSM!"

With that and a slash of his claws going down from her eyes all the way down below her large breasts, Chat Noir landed on his feet, panting heavily as he looked up to see the work of his power on Abyss. She looked like she had poison running through her, for darkness shot over her skin from the inside, her body shaking as she lost all feeling in it, releasing La Paon and Shader. They both landed beside Chat Noir, stepping back from the Kwami as she sunk on her pincers, her face split as her skin began to turn dark as the power ran right through her. It was as if her skin was about to come off and her body would fall down.

Her face split and her body sunken in the snow, Abyss managed to let out a chuckle as her eyes looked at Chat Noir, red mist slowly coming out of her mouth.

"You fool...the power of destruction might destroy my body. But I am immortal. My essence shall live on. And it'll rebuild." she said to him, a hint of seduction in her tone as more mist began to come out of her mouth, watching on as it began to build in size.

Chat Noir, though, didn't look scared about that. He smiled instead as he stepped back with his mother and Shader.

"Sometimes essences can be stopped as well, Abyss." he said in pride as a light shined up behind him. A light of energy. A light that seemed more powerful than ever. Powerful enough to make Abyss freeze where she was while Chat Noir smiled as he looked at who it was, his heart warm as he saw who it was that was floating out from the snow.

Floating there in white and silver was Ladybug. She looked utterly angelic with her hair flowing softly behind her, her eyes still blue. The only difference aside from the colour change was the silver arm muscles, fingertips, and her midriff that ran down to her knees. On her hand was the White Lantern ring, which shone brighter than ever as she raised it up, smiling as she felt it run through her.

"It's over, Abyss. Consider this your final punishment. For infinity." Ladybug spoke as she pulled her yoyo out from her hip, wrapping it around the hand that held its ring.

Abyss felt as if she couldn't move as she saw the light get brighter, with her voice now shaky as the mist began to shrink.

"N-No..." she could only utter as the ring began to produce a light, Ladybug's eyes wide with light when it began to form.

"PERMA CHARM!" she cried.

The ring and yoyo bleeped as the former's construct began to take form. It was small, round, but had its purpose. It opened like a slot on both sides, an extra light beaming from inside. It let off a pulling force that found its target. There was no escape.

To the Kwami of Fear, it felt like invisible hands were pulling on her body and refusing to let go. Abyss tried to fly away but it was useless. No Kwami could escape from the Perma Charm of White Ladybug. As if to add insult to injury, the container was shaped like a ladybird shell. Not only would Abyss be trapped there forever, she was literally being contained inside the symbol of the girl who beat her. There was no way this defeat could be more humiliating for her. Abyss was pulled towards the Perma Charm, refusing to give up despite knowing it was useless. For the first time in her life, she was utterly terrified. The Kwami of Fear was now the one experiencing fear. She let out a horrified scream as her fate came ever closer.

"NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOO! YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME! YOU CAN'T SEAL ME AWAY! I'M FEAR INCARNATE! I CAN'T BE DEFEATEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee..."

Her voice trailed off as she was finally sucked into the ladybird shaped container, disappearing into its light as the ladybird shell closed shut forever. The construct fell to the ground with a light bump, telling everybody that as Ladybug had hoped, the construct would remain solid and wouldn't fade away like a Lantern's constructs usually did after use. White Ladybug sighed with relief, glad that her plan had worked. She had to admit thinking back to it all, it had been a very risky gambit. Even Kyle had noted as such that there was a one in a million chance it could work the way she'd intended. Neither of them had experienced what it was like to combine a Lantern ring with a Miraculous. Worst case scenario, the two energies could've violently reacted and cancelled each other out, destroying everything and everyone in sight. But Ladybug had suspected that Tikki's strong connection to the White Lantern power as the Kwami of Life would make the two a perfect match and luckily for her, it had. Now they'd created a perfect prison to keep Abyss locked away for all eternity. She turned to the others, her face as bright as her costume and glowing aura.

"We did it everyone! Abyss is sealed away forever!" White Ladybug cried delightedly.

Cat Noir and Kyle Rayner punched the air with joy while Constantine shrugged and gave his own cheeky smile.

"No wonder they call you "Miraculous Ladybug"." he remarked, "Gone up against The Joker, Darkseid, The Light and now a literal creature of fear itself. I'd say that's pretty bloody miraculous."

La Paon and Shader embraced each other with the former shedding tears of happiness in response to the turnout. If anyone had any right to be happy this was over, it was definitely La Paon. Forced to be a puppet for Abyss and play a part in her scheme, her nightmare was finally over. She was well and truly free from the web of Abyss.

"It's over...it's finally over!" La Paon cried between tears, "I never thought I'd say this day come!"

"Well it's here now mom and you can enjoy it for as long as you want!" Cat Noir cried, embracing his mother tightly.

La Paon hugged him back and kissed him on the forehead. How long she had waited for this moment to be back with her son again. White Ladybug watched the scene in awe, glad that they had pulled through so they could all see this tender moment together. Kyle patted her shoulder.

"Great thinking Marinette." he complimented, "I never in a million years would've thought of combining my ring with a Miraculous. Who'd have anticipated such a powerful combination working so well for us?"

"And just the way I'd hoped too!" White Ladybug exclaimed, "I guess when the Kwami of Life and the Lantern of Life come together, we should've expected it'd be something...well, miraculous."

"Just wait til I tell everyone in the Justice League and the Green Lantern Corps..." Kyle murmured, "They'll LOVE to hear this. Knowing Hal, he'd think on how awesome it'd be if HE did it and John would find it impressive."

"I know I found it impressive!" Cat Noir added, he and La Paon walking towards the two, "And M'lady, can I just say you look absolutely gorgeous in white?" he added with a sly wink.

White Ladybug ran her hands down her white-clad body, appreciating that her boyfriend thought the colour suited her. She had to agree that she did look good in white.

"I was half-expecting you to make an obvious joke on me being an angel." White Ladybug giggled.

"You didn't need to wear white for me to tell you that." Cat Noir said cheekily.

"Although I think we can agree red's more my colour." White Ladybug added, taking the ring off so Kyle could have it back.

As she removed the ring, the white and silver costume disappeared and returned her back to her trademark red and black spotted costume. She handed the ring to Kyle, who slipped the ring back onto his finger so he could return to being White Lantern. He smiled back at Ladybug.

"Yeah, red definitely suits you more." he agreed, "Although I'd hate to see you in a Red Lantern costume..."

"I doubt I'd ever get angry enough for that." Ladybug chuckled.

Then suddenly she found herself being grabbed and pulled into a tight hug of gratitude. She was so surprised that she cried out. Of course Ladybug didn't have any reason to mind who it was for she quickly saw it was only La Paon. The blue-clad woman was still crying with happiness and she embraced the French girl warmly. Ladybug could already feel the love and warmth that this woman carried for her son and what a caring person she was. No wonder Adrien had missed it so.

"Young lady...you are the most incredible girl I've ever met." La Paon said kindly, "I'm proud that you are my son's girlfriend. He couldn't have fallen for a more brave, strong and intelligent person."

Ladybug blushed with pleasure.

"P-p-please Mrs. Agreste, y-y-you're t-too kind." she stammered, "R-really, I d-don't know what to say..."

"Just accept what she said, for it's the truth. Every bit of it!" Cat Noir retorted.

Ladybug nodded and returned the hug that La Paon was giving her. They could all breathe a sigh of relief and relish this moment. Abyss was defeated at last and the world was saved. Today had truly been miraculous for them all, and they couldn't be happier that they'd lived to see it to the end...

* * *

_**Abyss is defeated! Paris is cleansed of its corruption! The day has been saved and it's a happy ending for all our heroes! ^^**_

_**But it's not quite the end of this story. Tune in for the final chapter as we conclude both this story and the entire Ladybug/DC crossover universe as a whole as everything comes to a neat little close...**_


	11. Chapter 10: Truths

_Chapter 10: Truths_

Such warm hugs couldn't last, as much as they wanted it to. But they knew now that they needed to do one more thing. Pulling back, Ladybug looked to La Paon and Chat Noir with a smile full of gladness, her eyes full of light as she knew what was coming now. She reached a hand out to her lover, who took it with a soft grip while he lovingly gazed at her, which she returned with her own look. She sighed with a smile as she looked to them all with one set of words coming out of her mouth.

"Let's go home".

Her voice was full of it and everyone couldn't help but go along with it, a sense of ease coming over their chests as they could now get out of the cold. La Paon looked slightly sombre though, her eyes full of nervousness as she wasn't exactly sure how to take it. Chat Noir noticed though, so he took her by the arms.

"Mom, don't be scared. We can stay with Master Fu until we can find somewhere else to live." he assured his blue skinned mother.

She felt her heart warm at such comforting words from her son, his brightness as strong as it once was a year ago. If only they saw the teasing smile coming over Shader's face when she heard all this...

"Speaking of home, the only way back is to call in to Bunnyx, give me a second." Ladybug said, pulling her yoyo up in her hand to begin the call. She could only hope whatever was going down in Paris was over now.

Her answer would wait though as Kagami gotten hold of her hand, getting her to look up to the blue haired girl with her own nervous look.

"Um, there's just another thing: where will I stay? I haven't got a home to go to in Paris. That and I don't think I'd be able to stay with you, despite our possible relation." she said in a tone that was full of a bit of worry, which hit Ladybug like a brick. She frowned and mentally hit herself over forgetting about Kagami. She needed to think these through more.

"Should we really take her in?" Cat Noir asked.

He frowned to himself, realizing that he might've sounded a little heartless and he should've been more tactful than to say that out loud in front of Kagami. He looked guiltily over to her, but Kagami's face hadn't changed. She didn't seem offended by what he'd asked. Ladybug nodded, understanding where Cat Noir was coming from.

"I know what you mean kitty, it'd be like inviting Hawk Moth to stay with us despite all he's done." the super-teen muttered, "But the Light will think she's dead so they'll never know she's not with them anymore and she's clearly not interested in keeping up whatever petty grudges she may have. She could start anew."

"She also helped us in fighting Abyss." White Lantern acknowledged, "And she wouldn't be the first member of the Light to turn against them and become good..."

He thought back to Terra and how she'd shaken off Deathstroke's influences to become an honorary Teen Titan instead of choosing to serve the Light. If she could do it, why couldn't Kagami too? Ladybug nodded in agreement.

"If we rejected her, we'd probably just have her relapse back into villainy..." she added.

"It maybe the compassion of the Indigo Lanterns in me, but I think you should do something for her." White Lantern suggested, "It's ultimately your call and I'm not the best to judge as I've only just met her but I think we at least owe her a little gratitude for joining the fight against Abyss."

Ladybug nodded again. It would be a little heartless of them to just not do anything about Kagami and leave her behind. And also, if they wanted to find out once and for all if they were related, they'd never answer that question if they didn't take her in. It took a minute or two, but Ladybug had made her mind up. She knew just what to do. Turning to Kagami, she held her hand out.

"Kagami, I've got just the place for you to say." Ladybug offered, "We have a master, the very person who bestowed our Miraculouses to us and he lives in a spa in the heart of Paris. He'll happily take you in until you can get back on your feet. While there, he maybe able to run a test to see if we are related. So what do you say? Do you accept my offer?"

Kagami took all this in with fascination. Getting to meet their master would be an incredible experience and she wondered if this master would bestow a Miraculous on her if she was to prove herself to him. Wouldn't the Light get a kick out of this if they knew what was happening now! But naturally, she was never going to let them know. And if this master could answer the biggest question she currently had, what reason did she have to refuse? With a small smile, Kagami took Ladybug's hand.

"Yes. I accept." she said slowly, "I...I really can't thank you enough. I'm...not really used to people being so nice to me..." she added sadly, thinking back to Shiva's harsh training regiment.

Ladybug smiled as she patted her arm, being gentle in doing so.

"You better get use to it because we're one of the nicest of people you can find! And hey, it might help you come out of your shell a bit more." she said softly with a slight bit of humour added in, something Kagami ended up shrugging at.

"We'll see. Might do me some good to smile more." she said in a similar tone, getting Chat Noir grinning as he looked to his mother.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones in readjusting to normal life" he pointed out to her, getting a nod from the blue skinned woman.

"Indeed so. I'll see if I can help her in any way. I'm sure I've got a lot of money saved up somewhere to run a faster test for them." she said quietly, not wanting to raise their interest in what she was saying.

Ladybug gave Kagami another pat on the arm to give her some assurance. It was like Grail in a way, giving her the chance to do some good. Difference was that Kagami was willing to do it, unlike Grail, and that was what she was glad for.

With that, she watched as the group of friends gathered beside Kagami, all of them looking ready to get going. Ladybug smiled as she looked down at the white ladybird construct she made, a sense of pride in her chest at the victory they gotten. She then looked to her yoyo, whistling as she knew it was time to make the call. Lifting it up, she opened it up to reveal the screen. Punching away at the little keyboard, Ladybug found an emoji of Bunnyx's face on it and pressed the icon, calling away.

In just a second, she got an answer, seeing Bunnyx's face greeting her with a relieved look, almost too relieved.

"Ladybug? Oh thank god! We were wondering what happened to you!" she exclaimed, getting a stunned look from the red heroine before she giggled as a fond look came to her face.

"We've got a lot to tell you guys when we get back. We're done here, so is it okay you open a portal for us?" she requested kindly, already thinking over what to say when they get back. Bunnyx raised a finger and nodded.

"Right, got it! But, just brace yourselves, okay? Things are a bit messy over here right now." she warned with a slightly nervous tone, stretching her hand back behind her to draw the portal open. Ladybug raised an eyebrow in interest, wondering what she meant by that.

She watched as Bunnyx drawn the portal and at the same time, the same colour of the portal appeared, roundly forming in front of them all and sending its glow all over them. Ladybug closed the yoyo and smiled as she felt the warm air of Paris being blown through the portal, giving her the chance to let it blow over her body before taking the step forward. La Paon felt her fingers tremble as she realised this was it, a sense of fear and excitement coming over her as she saw this was it: she was going home. Her excitement and fear was eased off when Chat Noir took her hand and smiled at her, his face carrying the warmth of home all over him.

"Let's go home, mom." he said softly.

It was enough to get everyone in the mood to go on through, warmth all over them as they could now leave the cold of Tibet. They walked forward, following Ladybug as she stepped through the portal, her body reaching the other side. They all followed after her, Constantine the last one to go through with them. The portal closes behind them when he got through, leaving Tibet behind them, letting them bask in the warm sunlight of Paris...only for their eyes to widen as they saw right in front of them all the wreckage of the fight with Manchester.

Towers of rocks shadowed the buildings, with vines of huge sizes planted across the streets along with the giant ice ball that covered most of the centre of Paris. They could only slide their eyes towards Bunnyx, who greeted them with a shy grin as she was surrounded by those who fought alongside her.

"Y-Yeah, when I say brace yourselves? I should've mentioned the huge changes made to the city!" she said, her hands behind her curvy hips as she could only hope this would be done with soon.

Constantine and Kyle's eyes soon found a familiar person among the heroes of Paris. The former greeted him with a sly smirk while Kyle smiled as they locked eyes onto Superman, who stood with Rena Rouge, Carapace, Hudie, Queen B and Bunnyx, the Tenshi champions behind him.

"See you made yourself welcome here, hey Supes mate?" the Brit greeted dryly, which only gotten a chuckle out of him as Kyle walked up to him, his hand reaching for his.

"Superman! Y-You were here helping them?" he asked as he shook his hand, his eyes full of gladness to meet his old friend again.

"Yeah. I needed to step in because a certain someone tried to take control of Paris while you were gone with Ladybug and Chat Noir. Have to say, they did a great job in stopping him. Couldn't be more proud." he said kindly as he stepped aside, allowing them all to see Manchester Black laying there on his side, his eyes wide as the Venom still ran through him.

Ladybug gasped as it hit her.

"Yes! Now I remember! Abyss mentioned you were here! S-Superman, s-sir!" she exclaimed, going shy as she stood straight, being polite towards the alien superhero, who smiled kindly as he approached her and Chat Noir with Kyle at his side. His very presence was enough to fill them all with warmth, even La Paon looked on in awe as the most powerful man in the world came towards them. He softly waved his hands at Ladybug, getting her to ease herself around him.

"No need to get shy, Ladybug. It's great to see you again, and you Chat Noir." he greeted warmly, patting their shoulders. They couldn't help but smile back at him, remembering how he greeted them before in a similar way back at Arkham. Was this man made of kindness or what?

He looked to the number of people with them and he then looked to Constantine before smirking at Kyle.

"You made sure to look after them while he was around?" he asked humorously, getting a giggle from the White Lantern. Constantine waved his finger at him.

"I'll have you know I did my best, even as we we were webbed to the wall!" he yelled at Superman, who just smirked before he looked back at Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"You both been okay? I heard you went to Tibet for a reason." he asked with concern.

Ladybug fought hard to keep herself from going giddy with excitement. How does one keep a level head when talking with THE Superman of all people? She coughed and gave her answer.

"We was actually looking for someone close to Cat Noir." she explained, "Master Fu and Constantine found enough clues to lead us to Tibet, where she was believed to have disappeared. Turns out she was being held prisoner by a monster named Abyss for the years she's been gone for. We was able to save her from Abyss and thanks to the power of the White Lantern, I was able to seal Abyss away for good."

"Don't worry Supes, she ain't going nowhere." White Lantern added.

"And I'm so glad that we got her back at last." Cat Noir added, looking over to La Paon with a bright smile of delight on his face.

He hated how he couldn't outright say to Superman who this woman was but he knew why it was necessary. They didn't want to clue anyone in that he is Adrien after all. He could see from the twinkle in Superman's eye that he understood what this meant. Deciding to share their secret, Superman made sure not to refer to La Paon in anyway that might indicate she was his mother.

"I'm thrilled to hear that you found her at last." Superman said kindly, "I would've liked it if I could've fought this Abyss creature alongside you but I'm glad you was able to defeat her and save this woman from her."

He looked over to La Paon, who blushed at the sight of him. She'd heard much of Superman but she hadn't anticipated her was THIS handsome! Knowing her luck, he was probably taken already.

"I'm glad you're free from that monster that imprisoned you for so long." Superman said softly.

"You have no idea how glad I am that I'm no longer in her custody!" La Paon blustered, "It was a true nightmare, being a prisoner of that creature and my powers being used for her needs! I can't apologize enough for being partially responsible for this destruction around us." she said sadly, motioning to the chaotic scene around them.

"What do you mean?" asked Super Nathan.

"I think I can guess." Rena Rouge murmured, "You know how Manchester kept getting some kind of power boost whenever he was close to defeat? I think that might've had something to do with that woman's powers." she suggested.

"You're absolutely right young lady." La Paon said grimly, "If I hadn't gotten caught by that monster, she never would've used me to do all of this! I am truly sorry that I ended up in her claws so she could use me for this."

She began to tremble and her eyes were welling up. The Miraculers and the Tenshi champions exchanged sympathetic gazes, disgusted to hear that this poor woman had been forced against her will to be a part of everything that had happened today. It just made everything they'd witnessed and fought against that much worse that it had been possible because of Abyss using someone in such a nefarious way. Ladybug smiled though, giving her a soft pat on the back.

"Don't beat yourself up, La Paon. You forget, my Miraculous can do quite a nice job at repairing even the greatest of damages". she said brightly, stepping forward with her yoyo in hand. Superman stood back but his eyes were bright with interest, eager to see such work of her power. Ladybug looked all around her, seeing the great affects the battle took on Paris. The clean-up would be over in a few seconds though, that was something she can assure herself with.

Ladybug threw her yoyo in the air, her smile bright as she gave it the command.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" she yelled. Superman could only watch on in fascination as the glow of purple energy shot out from the yoyo and began to shoot across the sky.

He followed its trail, seeing it fly over the rocks Skullstone made. He had to hold back a gasp as the rocks vanished, leaving only a nice smooth road in its place, before they flew right over the large vines created by Petala, taking them away and leaving the pavements brand new, before finally they swept under their feet on the ice, peeling it back to reveal nothing but a clean grey road, continuing its journey right to the ice ball, making it vanish within seconds, leaving the Eiffel Tower shining in the sunlight, its golden structure sparkling as it greeted the sun. The glow of Ladybug's powers came flying back and she closed her yoyo, the job now done. La Paon couldn't help but smile as she felt better at seeing such a sight again. Superman chuckled, looking at the yoyo.

"Such great power packed into a small thing. If only we had that to clean up the mess in the house" he joked with Ladybug, who giggled at the thought of it.

"Don't give Chat Noir any ideas." she whispered to him, making him giggle.

He then pulled back and looked to Rena Rouge and the rest of her friends, pride on his face.

"Now first of all, I did help, but I didn't stop Manchester, it was a matter of teamwork. That young lady there and her boyfriend did a great job at it, gathering everyone else here to help fight them off. Carapace was the one who destroyed the seed and Queen B paralysed Manchester. Teamwork is key in stopping evil." he explained to Ladybug, who nodded with him as she felt a form of pride coming over her heart as she looked to her friends.

Of course, the nice moment had to be interrupted when Manchester began to groan, starting to move his body forward. Everyone gasped, seeing the Venom was wearing off. His eyes looked murderous as he looked at Superman, who readied himself to restrain the Brit. He wasn't needed for that though, as Kyle then jumped around and fired a beam from his ring, hitting Manchester right in the chest. A construct was created in the form of a cocoon, which pressed hard against the supervillain and held his hands to his side. Kyle smirked.

"How's it feel for you, Manchester?" he asked mockingly, seeing it fit to trap him in such a thing that his friends had been trapped in earlier.

Manchester ignored him as his eyes tore into Superman, nothing but hate running through him as he spoke.

"You've humiliated me for the last time, Superman! No prison will hold me forever! I'll get out again and I'll come for you! You know I will!" he yelled, fury in his voice as Superman shook his head with disappointment.

"You need to accept it, Manchester, you've lost. When you go back to prison, you need to let the psychiatrists help you, get you to reform. This isn't doing you any good." he warned the Brit, his voice thoughtful as he showed he thought of the man's health.

Manchester though twisted his face into a sneer, glaring at him.

"I'll only be old when I have you under my feet! And I'll do it differently, I'll strike you at your heart! I'll take away those you cherish the most!" he yelled, trying to get free of the construct, his mouth carrying his thoughts out, "You think I haven't heard!? I hear lots of things mate! I know a certain someone's had her work hours cut back, to look after a little lad!"

Everybody saw the intense look on Superman's face as he flinched, his eyes wide and his hands trembling as realization sunk in for him. Manchester knew! He knew about Jon! The revelation hit him so hard that Superman felt as if his heart would stop. Everybody turned to Manchester, noticing the pleased look on his face as he'd clearly pinched a nerve in Superman.

"You of all people should remember you can't keep anything from a telepath." Manchester crowed, "I know you have a wife and son Superman! You really think I'd never find out? Next time I'll get to you through them! Oh yes, I can just imagine how much fun it would be to get your lovely lady in my psychic grip, her body twisted like a bath towel as I see how many ways I can bend her out of shape!"

Superman's eyes began to heat up, losing their soft, friendly blue colour and becoming a hellish red of rage. This made everyone step back nervously, not wanting to be anywhere near Superman when he finally lost it.

"And your boy...yes your boy...I have many plans for him!" Manchester continued to gloat, clearly not afraid he was just seconds away from becoming a permanent stain on the tarmac, "I'll take him under my wing, sway him to my way of thinking, open his eyes from whatever corruption you've put him under and make him see the light! If you won't see things my way, than perhaps HE WILL!"

That did it. Superman finally lost his composure and stormed up towards Manchester Black, ready to flatten his face into mush for the threat he'd made. He advanced slowly on him, his eyes a blazing red of anger as he was ready to heat vision him into oblivion. White Lantern ran up to him, desperate to prevent him from doing something he would seriously regret.

"Superman, Superman! Stop right there, you're playing right into his hands!" he exclaimed.

Superman ignored him and continued approaching Manchester. The British metahuman just smirked, glad he'd found a way to get under Superman's skin and make him break his one rule.

"I know you'd see things my way at last." he crowed.

However, he didn't get to see what would become of him for Rena Rouge quickly ran up behind him and clocked him around the head with her flute. The blow knocked him out instantly, making him fall over onto his side, White Lantern's construct still binding him in place. Upon seeing this, Superman stopped and his heat vision settled down, his eyes returning to normal. The Kryptonian stood where he was, ashamed with himself that he'd just been about to kill a man in cold blood. Everyone around him was standing there in astonishment, unable to believe that Superman could've lost it so badly. Ladybug and Cat Noir were relieved that Rena had prevented them from seeing Superman kill somebody as that would've been horrific to watch. Superman was silent for a long, tense moment in which Rena felt the need to say something. The vulpine heroine was still trembling a little as if unable to believe what had happened.

"I-I-I h-had to...I h-had to stop you!" she stammered, "If you'd gone ahead with this, th-there w-wouldn't have b-been much left! P-please understand..."

Superman just held up a hand for silence and sighed loudly. The look he gave Rena wasn't of disappointment or anger that she'd intervened. If anything, he actually looked...relieved. Grateful even. He gave Rena a soft look as if keen to remind everyone that he wasn't a monster to be feared.

"You did the right thing." he said approvingly, "Thank you for stopping me Rena. I...I don't want to think about what I would've done if you didn't step in..." he added gravely, still disgusted with himself that he'd nearly crossed the line.

"We understand why you reacted that way." Ladybug said gently, "It was really sick of Manchester to threaten your family like that. I'd have wanted to flatten his face into the ground if he'd said those things to me too..."

She cringed at the thought of Manchester using his psychic powers to inflict god knows what kind of pain and horror upon her parents and Adrien. If he'd ever harmed them, she'd make sure that not even a Miraculous Ladybug wave could save him from death.

"I shouldn't have reacted like that. Some may say it's normal, but I need to remember everything about myself, especially my strength. I can't stoop to his level again." he said sadly, uncurling his hands to release the tension he had built up inside of him. Ladybug patted his arm and looked out to the rest of the Tenshi champions, her eyes firm when looking at them.

"Whatever you just heard, we'd like it if you kept it to yourselves, please!" she told them, not wanting to stress any further what would happen if any of them blurted out that Superman had a wife and son.

Lightwing shook his head, crossing his finger over his heart.

"Not a word!" He swore, everyone nodding with him, knowing it would be best not to say such things to anyone. Though Techno looked thoughtful as he scratched his head

"Superman gotten busy? Surely the results must've been destructive." he said to himself, only to get a whack from Skullstone to get him to shut up.

Feeling the weight on his chest lifting, Superman sighed and looked down to Ladybug, smiling again.

"I'm sure we can trust them. With what I've seen them do today, I'm sure you can trust them with helping protect Paris alongside your current team." he suggested, a hint of pride in his voice. Ladybug hummed and looked thoughtful, playfully eying them up.

"Hmmm...I'll see, some need to make sure they don't get carried away with a Miraculous." she said, pointing to Lightwing, who pouted at her.

"Oh c'mon!" he cried, getting a much needed chuckle out of Superman as Chat Noir walked up to him with La Paon and Constantine by his side.

"We'll certainly think about it, sir." he said gladly, interested in talking it over with his lover.

"Think it over as long as you want. We'll keep watch. You ever need us, call us." Superman replied softly at the leather clad boy, who nodded. He then looked to Kyle, his eyes full of guilt as he gestured at Manchester's unconscious body.

"I'm sorry as well, Kyle. I should've listened. You think you can help me carry him back to prison?" he offered the White Lantern, who could only nod gladly in response.

"Count me in, pal! While I'm here, I might wanna catch up with some of the guys. Some of them don't even know I'm getting married to Soranik soon." he noted to him, getting a startled look from Superman before he smiled.

"You have been busy since we last saw you. You have a lot to tell us." he said lightly.

They nodded before they felt something tug at their hearts, making them look back around them. Their friends in Paris all looked a little sad as they knew now what this meant. The day was saved and the villains were beaten. All that was left now was to say goodbye. Something that was hard to do. They both felt sad at this as well. It was like the end of something special really. But this wasn't a forever goodbye. They had to remind themselves of that. Kyle approached the Miraculers and patted their shoulders.

"I've gotta say, it was truly an honour to fight alongside you two." he said brightly, "The amount of willpower I've seen from you both has me hopeful you two will one day join the Green Lantern Corps."

"Well wearing your ring and getting a feel of the amount of power one gets from it has me tempted..." Ladybug murmured thoughtfully.

"I'm quite happy with the ring I have now." Cat Noir remarked, "But I'll still consider the offer."

"You two would make fine Lanterns if you ever joined us." White Lantern said, his tone of voice indicating her firmly believed what he said, "With you two on our side, I know even Sinestro himself would have something to worry about."

Ladybug and Cat Noir just smiled sheepishly and gave a nervous chuckle. Neither of them particularly liked the idea of having to face the leader of the Sinestro Corps and the might of the yellow lanterns. Both felt they'd had quite enough of fear lately. White Lantern understood their nervous smiles and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah you're right, better not think on that now." he said quickly, "Still, if you ever need me again, just keep a look out for my white light. If you want, next time you see a shooting star in the night sky, imagine that might be me passing by. It's cheesy I know but I like to think it can inspire hope in people."

Ladybug and Cat Noir concurred. They thought that way of thinking would inspire great optimism in them and anyone else for they'd feel safe with the knowledge that the White Lantern was there if he was needed. Superman turned to the Miraculers, now his turn to say his farewells.

"It's time I went too." he said, "The danger in Paris is done with so I'm not needed here any longer. That and I know a certain someone's really gonna want to hear what daddy's been up to today." he added, winking.

"Please tell your son all about us." Ladybug said, "I'd love to hear what he thinks about France's heroes. Who knows, maybe we'll meet him some day."

"You never know." Superman agreed.

"Could you at least give me a quick interview for the Ladyblog before you go?" Rena asked hopefully, "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease? I promise it'll be quick!"

Superman chuckled, seeing it was the best he could do for Rena. She helped him a lot during the fight and did stop him from hitting Manchester. He owed her. He turned to the fox styled heroine and pointed to her.

"Ask away, young lady." he said, knowing she was going to get very excited about this. Rena Rouge had to resist herself from squealing upon getting this, swiftly running her hand on her flute to activate the camera.

As Superman was doing his interview with Rena, Constantine turned to Ladybug and Chat Noir, a slight smile on his face.

"Guess that means I'm off as well. Gotta say, it was a pleasure putting a smile on your face. Everyone thought you needed one and I didn't think I'd be the man to help out in that." he said, a hint of kindness in his voice as he held his hand out to them both. Both of the lovers couldn't help but smirk at Constantine, he just had that charm about him where they couldn't help but smirk at him. Chat Noir reached his hand out and shook Constantine's, smiling brightly at him.

"You were really helpful, John. I unlocked some powers I didn't know I had thanks to you. And you helped put the puzzle together about my mother. I can only say thank you." he said kindly to the Brit, who put a hand on his chest.

"Heh, easy, you're running sweetness through my spur veins." he chuckled before shaking Ladybug's hand.

"And you, luv, are a bright light in this lad's life. You keep being bright for him, because I don't think he'd live without you." he said to the blue haired girl, who smiled as she shook back.

"Thanks, John. I'll keep on being the best I can." she said to him, her voice warm at such kind words he was giving. Constantine smiled genuinely as he then looked to Hudie, recognising him easily. He gave him a wink as he stood back.

"I'll call around some time, mate! You and I should play some games after all this!" he told them elderly Asian man, who giggled as he waved at him.

"And you better quit smoking the next time I see you!" he called back to the Brit, who smirked as he then walked off towards Superman and Kyle, the form of whom just finished his interview with Rena Rouge, who was hugging him big time.

"Please let us know if your in town! We'd love to see you again!" Rena pleaded as she pulled back, getting a smile from the super powered alien.

"I'll make sure we will." he assured as he allowed her to step back, giving him, Kyle, Constantine and Manchester some space. The three of them stood side by side as they looked out to their friends in Paris, all of whom smiled as they knew now that it was time to go. They then shared a look with each other, seeing that they were ready.

Their hearts warm as they were easy now, they began to lift into the air, Kyle using a construct to hold Constantine in the air. Their feet light but their hearts strong, they beamed down at the French heroes, who all gave them a silent wave as they took off into the sky, heading west. Kyle, however, had a small feeling he hadn't seen the last of them and it made his heart grow fonder as he flew off. Constantine kept an eye on Chat Noir as the teen gotten smaller in his sights, his smile genuine as he could only think of what he had gotten at the end of this. Superman, in his heart, knew they would see each other again. And he knew next time, there would be smiles. For they had the brightest of them all.

On the ground, the French teens and adults felt their hearts swim in hot water as they saw their friends fly off, slight tears stinging some of their eyes, like the Best event ever had just come to an end. This would be something they would not forget as they gotten older, they knew that. They sighed as they saw the heroes shrink in size the further they went, gone from their lives for now.

Ladybug sighed but smiled as she turned to Chat Noir, who beamed lovingly at her as he took her hand into his. He could smell her better now and it eased his muscles more as he talked to her.

"It's over now...it's actually over." he said in gladness.

She shared the same loving look back at him, though she gotten more thoughtful as she then put a finger to his lips before he could kiss her. She wanted to pull him in and feel the might of his body against hers, but her eyes were drawn to Hudie and the Tenshis champions.

"Not yet, my love. There's some other things we need to take care of." she reminded him, turn around to face Hudie with him, holding the white ladybird construct in her hands. They both felt something come over their hearts as a form of acceptance came over them. They bowed their heads in respect to him as she held the construct out, leaving him slightly stunned.

"She's in there, Master. I'd hide her really well now that we've shut her away." she told him firmly as he took it in his hands, his eyes full of interest as he realised who she was on about. He nodded, keeping a strong hold of the construct. He smiled at them both, glancing at La Paon, Shader, and Kagami.

"You've clearly done a lot. Well done you two." he congratulated, smiling at them all.

Ladybug nodded though her eyes looked back at the Tenshi champions, her eyes getting slightly sad.

"Yeah. And I'd like to say a well done to the rest of our friends you recruited. Just a shame it means we now have to take their powers away".

"Aww, do you have to?" Lightwing asked, sounding disappointed, "I was really enjoying having powers without it being akuma-related."

"And I'm quite growing accustomed to my powers." Techno said, admiring his mechanical suit.

"We could all be heroes and fight alongside you all!" Petala cried, "Please can we keep our powers?"

Hudie just shook his head, clearly not happy he had to do this.

"I cannot keep up the powers of the Moth Miraculous forever." he said, "And you can't keep the Tenshi-forms forever either. What would all of your parents think if they saw you like that?"

The students hated to admit it, but Hudie certainly had a point. How would they explain their sudden new costumes and abilities to their mothers and fathers? With no further argument to make, the Tenshi champions stood on a row together as Hudie held out the Moth Cane and recalled the Tenshis. The student's bodies all glowed a bright mixture of purple and white as their superpowered forms were transformed back to their normal civilian selves and the Tenshi butterflies flew back towards their master. The whole process lasted a few seconds before everyone was back to normal. Ladybug watched with awe, glad to see what a good version of Hawk Moth's abilities looked like. Cat Noir just grinned.

"Reminds me of when I used the Moth Miraculous and gave you a power-up." he said.

Ladybug nodded, recalling that Cat Noir had indeed done so during their battle with the Joker. That alone was enough to have Ladybug mulling over her past memories in astonishment. How had they gone from fighting the Joker & Hawk Moth to this in a matter of months?! It had all started with meeting Batman when he was chasing The Riddler to Paris and had only gone up from there with their meeting Wonder Woman, Young Justice and now White Lantern and Superman both on the same day! Ladybug took a long moment to ponder over if the last few months and the events of today had somehow been a miraculous dream and now was when she would wake up. She closed her eyes briefly and opened them again. Nothing changed. It was all real, even if it still felt unbelievable to look back on everything.

"You OK M'Lady?" Cat Noir asked.

"I'm fine. I'm just reminiscing on everything we've been through." Ladybug said, "It's almost hard to believe everything that's happened to us since the day we met Batman."

"I know. I'm just glad we lived to tell about it!" Cat Noir said brightly, "And I bet all our friends will never stop talking about how they teamed up to help Superman save Paris." he added, looking over to the depowered classmates who were looking a little sullen that they no longer had their powers.

Rena Rouge gave Ladybug a suggestive look that seemed really pleading. Ladybug couldn't help but giggle at such a look her best friend made, for it was often the other way around. She could tell what it meant, so no words were shared. Ladybug walked towards the students, a smile on her face as she let it settle in on what had occurred while they were gone.

"Don't look so glum, guys. From what Superman and Rena told me, you did really well. And Hudie chose you all to help. That's enough to make me and Chat Noir think over on giving you all a Miraculous." she said in assurance, getting them all to brighten up when they heard that. They shared an eager look with each other as they realised Ladybug was really thinking it over. Sabrina especially, she really wanted to do her best after everything that happened. She felt like she was really getting somewhere now. Plus doing her dad proud.

Bunnyx swing her umbrella around as she then aimed it at Nathanael and Kim, giving them a wink.

"If there's a word of advice to give, it's that you've gotta come up with really clever excuses to your parents when you're sprinting off to save the world. No nervous stutters, nor any macho comments." she said with a wink, getting a tongue poked out at her from Kim while Nathanael blushed, realising she knew well on how he was like. He still offered a smile at her.

"I can do my best. I've dreamt of being a superhero for years, I know how it works." he said kindly, getting a nod from Bunnyx.

"Can imagine you will. Now, speaking of parents..." she said as she raised her hand in the air.

She pulled her hand towards her, making everyone watch as to their right, many portals came speeding right around them, coming to a stop with a good few feet away from them. Bunnyx smiled as she walked towards one of them.

"Let's get them back, huh?" she suggested, bending over to poke her head through one of them like a window. Kagami couldn't help but giggle, looking to Ladybug.

"Quite nice to be seeing the better side of your friends, Ladybug" she said to her, getting a grin off her.

"Like I said, here you're with the nicest of people in the world." she reminded the former villain, who watched on as Bunnyx pulled her head out, stepping back as to give space to those that had been moved out of place.

Hearing footsteps coming towards the portals, the rabbit styled hero greeted the returning civilians with a grin and a wave to the students and the restored city.

"Welcome home!" she greeted, letting them all take in the awe and warm look of their home city. They gasped and looked on in amazement, seeing how much everything been turned back to normal, their hearts beating greatly in gratitude as they saw the heroes of Paris right in front of them.

Of course, some of the many civilians that were coming through the portals looked towards the students, for some of them were their children. They broke off and ran towards the children, Roger leading the way. The police officer didn't have a shred of fear on him unlike last time, the effects of the flood gone from him. He took Sabrina into his arms and hugged her tightly, tears of relief on his face as he held her close. Sabrina smiled as she held her dad in return, resisting the urge of telling him all she did. She was just glad he was alive.

Coming through was also Nadjia, who had a confused look on her face as she faced Ladybug and Chat Noir, her cameraman following her. Her face was full of questions, and she gotten a few out as she ran to them.

"Hey, Ladybug, Chat Noir! Where were you both and how come you let a student through first to interview Superman? Isn't that dangerous? And who are the blue women with you?" she asked them sharply, turning her face towards La Paon and Shader, who looked a little annoyed at the way the woman was putting these questions out. Ladybug waved her hands at Nadjia, a form look on her face.

"We'll answer those questions later, Nadjia. Right now, you should find your daughter." she reminded the reporter, who gasped as she turned in her feet, shock as she began to run through the crowds.

"Manon!" she called, her cameraman following after her.

Ladybug giggled at this as La Paon sighed thankfully, glad the cameraman was gone.

"That's one way to get rid of a reporter." she stated, getting a shrug from Ladybug.

"I know her personally. I babysit her daughter." she informed before her eyes picked up a pair of people in the crowd coming through. Her heart swam in excitement as she saw they were safe. She gripped her hands together before grabbing Hudie and Kagami, pulling them together.

"Uh, Master, would you please take Kagami back to yours, please? La Paon as well, please!" she urged him, getting a startled look from the two Asians.

"Um, yes of course...isn't she from the Light?" Hudie asked in confusion, looking at Kagami. Chat Noir took his arm and looped his other around his mother's.

"I'll explain along the way. Right now, M'Lady is occupied with two other important people in her life." he told them, his eyes twinkling as he glanced at Ladybug, understanding in them.

Ladybug smiled fondly at him, seeing he understood why she needed to go now. She watched on as he blew her a kiss, telling her she'd meet with him later. She turned to the rest of the Miraculers, smiling.

"I think you all need to do the same. We'll meet up later and tell you what happened." she told them all. They realised it was the best to do so, leaving her side to disappear down key alleyways to turn themselves back to normal.

It was easy for Ladybug to find a place to power-down as the city was still mostly empty from when Bunnyx had evacuated everyone earlier. Everyone was coming back but not too quickly so there were plenty of empty spots to hide in. Ladybug slipped into an alleyway nearby and went pretty far in so make doubly sure no one would see her. Once she was confident she wouldn't be seen, the Miraculer leaned against the wall and sighed, sounding glad to be returning to normal for the first time in ages. At least this time, she wasn't glued to a wall by a spider-creature's webs when she got out of costume.

"Tikki, spots off." Ladybug commanded.

In a quick flash of pink, Ladybug was no longer standing in that alley way. In her place stood Marinette Dupain-Cheng, glad that her superhero day was over and she could return to normal life for now. As she turned to leave the alleyway, Tikki floated beside her.

"I'm so proud of you Marinette!" the little Kwami squealed, "You were so brave and so clever to have thought up a way to contain Abyss for good! I've mentored many great Ladybugs and I can say that you're up there with Hippolyta is one of the greatest I've ever been bestowed upon!"

Marinette smiled modestly, fingering a lock of her hair.

"I dunno what to say to such high praise Tikki. Though I will say that I don't deserve all of it. After all, I couldn't have done it without you." she said tenderly.

Tikki beamed, glad to hear Marinette saying that. People like her were a fond reminder to the centuries old Kwami that humanity still had some pure souls in the world and that there was plenty of good to find. How she thanked Master Fu for bestowing her to such a modest, selfless young girl like Marinette!

"I have to admit that being combined with the powers of the White Lantern was quite incredible." Tikki added, "I've never felt so much power in my life! I felt...I felt like I could reshape the universe with just a thought! Though honestly, playing god has never been my thing."

"I'm just glad we used that power for what we needed and that it worked." Marinette agreed, "I'd hate to think what'd happen if I ever let it get to my head or anything..."

She quickly pushed those thoughts aside as she opened her purse for Tikki to hide in and she ran quickly out of the alleyway. Marinette wanted nothing more than to be in her parent's arms again. It was always weird to imagine how she'd achieved incredible feats that teenagers only dreamed of achieving and then when it was over, she suddenly felt a need to be back with her mother and father and just let life return to normal. How many other superheroes felt the same way? Maybe every superhero did for all she knew. Marinette ran towards the crowd and instantly spotted her parents. It was hard to miss the huge figure of her father easily standing out from the crowd with his tiny wife on his shoulders calling out to her. Marinette stifled a giggle at the scene and ran over to them. Sabine spotted her straight away and Tom lowered her down so they could welcome her back into their arms. Marinette threw herself around both Tom and Sabine and hugged them tightly. Getting to feel the warm, tender hugs of her parents somehow managed to feel more special and welcoming to her than they'd ever done before.

"Oh thank god you're alright my darling!" Sabine wept, "We were worried you hadn't gotten away in time when those portals opened to evacuate us!"

"However did you survive kiddo?" Tom asked, "Did you keep well away from that stuff? Was there anyone with you?"

Marinette didn't answer their questions. Tom and Sabine could see that she was just too glad to be back with them and wanted to make the most of it. They could ask her later. They kept up the hug in silence, glad that their small, happy family was back together at last. Though Marinette knew that things would change between herself and her parents. She hadn't forgotten that she was still contemplating revealing her secret. She would save that for later as now wasn't the best time. She was just glad that she got to see her parents again at all...

* * *

_A week later..._

Everything had been quiet. Not just in Paris but all over the world. No activity from either hero or villain. It was as if everyone was being given a much needed break from such a busy few months, and everyone used this chance to make up for lost time and make some changes. And in some of these cases, the lost time from some of those had ended up in the form of meetings. Such one was being held high above the Earth right now in the familiar structure known as the Watchtower, its wheels spinning so slowly around its cylinder body you wouldn't think they were moving. Right now, the meeting was being held in a circular room inside its metallic silver walls. The room had a breath-taking view of the Earth visible through the one large window it had. Sitting around a round table were a few key people, and not just any key people but some of the highest ranking members of the Justice League itself. They were Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Robin and Kyle. They all looked well eager to continue with the proceedings, but Superman had requested they waited a little longer for one last person to attend. Robin couldn't help but notice those that were present during this meeting and it began to click away in his head. He felt his heart grow fonder as he could only wonder the positivities of this meeting on who or what it was they were going to discuss.

His answer came when the doors to the room opened, letting in their last member. It was Constantine, who raised his lips as he smoothed his fingers on the wall.

"Didn't think I'd get to come up here again. Not changed a bit, really" he said in an impressed tone, getting a chuckle from the others aside from Batman.

Pulling his chair back, Constantine took his seat and his eyes met Superman's with a certain look coming over his face, feeling he knew why they were here now. He raised his hand at him and sent it up, leaning forward with his eyes full of interest.

"Care to speak up then, mate? We all know why we're here but you best start talking." he told the heroic man in blue and red, who gave him a smile as he looked to everyone around him, getting them all to meet his face.

Batman's grew soft as he knew it was going to get a bit nostalgic now and for reasons he knew he'd be wanting to hear out. Superman spoke, his voice thoughtful as he did so.

"I gathered you all here because these past few months, we've ourselves gotten involved in the lives of the heroes of Paris, and I feel we need to discuss their future and our relationship with them going forward. If there's something I want to add, we helped a certain young man reunite with his mother. That is one of the biggest positives we can take from these last few months." he explained, his smile soft as he could only think of how happy Adrien was now with his mother.

He noticed Batman in particular looking pleased to hear this news. As a man who'd lost his own parents as a child, it always warmed his heart to hear another child was back with his own, even if it was only his mother for obvious reasons.

"You got that right, and it's thanks to them we set back or locked up a few monsters along the way, Abyss and Manchester being one of them, and that girl from the Light reformed, thanks to Ladybug giving her a chance." Kyle said brightly, proud to have fought alongside them. Wonder Woman nodded, a fond look on her face as she thought back to her adventures with Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"Yes it was, and they helped us get Apokalips under New Genesis' control and we are still getting through to Grail. Still, if anything, it wasn't easy, for that was the farthest they went from home and they did go through a lot of emotional turmoil. I'm just relieved they pulled through after what Desaad done to them both, neither of them deserved to have been put through that." she said, her voice slightly sad as she went on, remembering how exhausted Marinette was and how angry Chat Noir was at the time. Batman nodded at this, his eyes sad behind his mask.

"I can imagine. I never saw such betrayal be done to such devastating affects right in front of myself for a long time. I just wish I could've done more..." he said bitterly, thinking of how much pain Adrien must've been in at his father's betrayal. Robin smiled though, his handsome face lighting up everyone's mood.

"But we did our bit to help, all of us, and it worked! Bruce, you called in John to help improve Adrien's skills, Diana, you helped Marinette learn more about Tikki and the past, me and my team helped them settle in becoming leaders and creating more heroes for Paris, Kyle and John helped find Adrien's mother, and Clark, you made the rest of their friends feel confident in working alone as a team! This journey did have its hardships, but I sure see light for them all now!"

Batman nodded approvingly at his sidekick's words. There was never a day he wasn't thankful that Tim had talked him back into accepting having a Robin by his side. He had said that he needed that extra ray of light in his life and he'd been so right. He turned to the others.

"Tim's right. We've all in some way or another contributed to their improved superhero skills and benefited their lives in some way." Batman put in, "We're continuing to show the world what this league stands for and what our aim is."

"To enrich people's lives and make the world a better place." Wonder Woman said approvingly, "And in doing so, I firmly believe that the heroes of Paris could well be one of us someday."

That made the League members ponder for a moment on such a lovely thought. Yes...it would be great to have the Miraculers and their prodigious powers as part of the Justice League. Having such courage, heart and the healing abilities of Ladybug would benefit the League immensely and show the world that their continuous aim to make the world a better place extended anywhere and everywhere.

"I can more see them as Teen Titans than Justice Leaguers." Kyle remarked, "But once they reach our ages, they'll be ready for us."

"I'd almost say the little sports are making up their own League." Constantine joked, "Maybe "the Miraculous League" or summet corny like that would suit them."

"Whatever they do, we should definitely keep that door open for the French heroes." Superman said brightly, "Having survived against their own nemesis Hawk Moth, The Joker, The Riddler, Darkseid, The Light and the combined efforts of Abyss and Manchester Black, they've more than proven their worth. I'd be honoured to welcome them into the League if they were to ever choose to do so."

Batman nodded, his masked eyes glancing towards the window that showed them a great view of Earth. One would think they would get sick by looking at the planet, but not them. Batman didn't even feel an ounce of change in his gut, though his heart was fond as he tried to find the European continent. To think it all started only a few months ago with him. He would not forget their first ever meeting. A smile came to him as he imagined what they were up to now.

"For now, I suggest we give them the space they need to establish themselves as their own. If they need any help, I'll make sure to give them the comms to do so." he said to the rest of his friends as he looked back to them. Wonder Woman beamed up at him, clearly liking the idea.

"I'll easily give it to them, I do work at the Louvre in my spare time." she offered kindly, getting an agreeable look from Batman as they all shared his gaze down at the Earth. Superman smiled as he felt hopeful on what the French teens were up to.

"Whatever they do from now, we can trust them, for they have shown like every other brilliant man, woman and child in this universe, they have shown the ability to do some brilliant good." he said warmly, seeing something bright rising over the world from the other side of the planet. It was a new day and a new era for Paris, and he knew it was fully settling into the people who lived there.

He just knew it.

* * *

It was very true, for the sun was rising brightly over the whole of Paris, bringing light onto the beautiful city of France. It was like any other morning, the sound of birds chirping as they woke to greet the sun and the fresh smell of air carrying the slight mist of frost was pretty normal. It was a first for Adrien though to have a morning like this.

The blonde teen felt the sun beam gently on his face through the window of his new bedroom, with it open to let in the fresh smell of the air for him to ease his awakening from his long sleep. He opened his green eyes, brushing the strands of his blonde hair out of his sight as he took in the sun. He smiled as he rubbed his face more into his pillow, not needing to get up so early just yet. No villains to stop, no photo shoots. He could just lay there in his new bed in his new bedroom. It was a slight blue wallpaper, with shelves fitted on the walls that held his many gifts that he had returned from the police. A wooden set of drawers were to the right of his bed against the wall, holding his clothes. A TV sat above it while next to his bed was a little table that held a light lamp and a little pillow for a certain Kwami. That certain Kwami poked his little head up from his pillow, yawning as he woken up from his long, much needed sleep. He blinked his eyes open to adjust to the light, his eyes setting on the face of his human as he was fully waking up. Plagg smiled after him, his eyes full of joy to see such a peaceful look on him.

"Had a nice nap, kid?" Plagg asked with a stretch, getting a sleepy groan from Adrien as he sat up, smiling as he faced his Kwami.

"You bet I did. I really felt at peace. So comfy, warm, and soft unlike my last lot of beds." he explained, clearly glad to have this bed to sleep in. Plagg grinned as he stretched his legs, slowly floating in the air.

"Nice! I'm the same, I slept like a pampered kitten! Rightly so, too after helping you beat the crap out of Abyss!" he said more joyfully as he rested in Adrien's lap, getting a relaxed look from his human.

"You got that right, Plagg. Can only guess it helped you sleep better as well with her gone." he made to him on how he could see why he was sleeping better. Plagg grinned at him, seeing he didn't need to explain his reasons.

"Think all of us can rest easy now that she's gone! Same goes to Nooroo and Duusu after all they went through as well!" he said happily to Adrien, who felt a spike of energy go through him as he remembered.

Letting out a yawn, the blonde boy slid his feet out from under the blankets and let his feet greet the floor, letting its cold surface send a shiver running through him. Stretching his arms, Adrien gave Plagg a smile.

"Speaking of them, lets see how they're doing with everyone else." he said as he began to walk towards his door with his Kwami following him, though both their noses scrunched up as they picked up a sweet smell.

To Adrien, it was a smell that he'd longed to smell again after having been denied anything overly sweet by his father. Under Gabriel's care, he'd been forced to live under a strict diet to keep his figure for his modelling career. All this had done was make Adrien crave some of the junk foods he once enjoyed. He ran downstairs to see what that delicious smell was. His eyes gleamed as he saw what could've been a picture perfect scene before him: Nathalie and the Gorilla alongside his loving mother with a breakfast of waffles with honey syrup on the table. Duusu and Nooroo were with them two, the two little Kwamis exchanging greeting smiles. Getting to see the two positive things from his previous life with a pair of powerful yet heroic Kwamis and the most wonderful person that was now back in his life greeting him with the sight of breakfast was his ideal depiction of a happy family there to welcome him.

"Good morning Adrien!" Emilie said happily, "I hope you're hungry because I made these especially for you!"

"I've always missed your waffles mom. You always made the best waffles!" Adrien said graciously.

He sat down to the table to tuck into his long awaited breakfast. While he had eaten waffles on occasion since escaping from Gabriel's shadow, they hadn't been the same. Getting to eat freshly made ones by his own mother was what he'd yearned for. He ate his breakfast, savouring every mouthful. Every single bite was delicious to him from the spongey, sugary waffles to the sweet, sticky, honey taste of the syrup. Emilie watched him eat with awe, glad to see her son looking so happy. This past week had been the best of her life, finding this new house to live in and spending most of that week catching up with her boy. How wonderful it was to have him back and be out of Abyss's webs for good!

"You looked like you enjoyed that darling." Emilie said sweetly.

"That was delicious mom. Thank you so much." Adrien replied brightly.

"Anything for you my son." his mother replied, once again sporting that gentle smile that in his eyes could brighten up in the darkest of days, "How are you liking our new house? Is it satisfying for you?"

"It's great!" Adrien replied enthusiastically, "I was never that keen on that big old mansion we had. It always felt like we had more room than we actually needed and it just seemed big and foreboding. This is much better. Feels more like an actual home if you know what I mean. It was really awesome of Nathalie and the Gorilla to find it for us."

Emilie rose from her seat and approached her son. She hugged him softly, gently patting him on the head. Receiving these hugs from the blonde woman made Adrien feel as if she'd never been gone, like all the time she'd been in Abyss's claws hadn't happened and she'd always been here with him.

"I'm glad you're coping so well sweetheart." Emilie said softly, "I've been gone from you for so long that I'm determined to do everything in my power to make you happy again and get back to being the mother that you loved."

"I'm just grateful I have you back at all." Adrien said kindly.

His words touched Emilie so much that she began to cry. Adrien knew that it was out of happiness and not sadness so he wasn't concerned. Nathalie and the Gorilla shared smiles of awe, both of them glad that the boy they'd helped to raise was having the happiest time of his life now that he was back with his mother, the one parent who truly cared and loved him so. It was so much better than the time he'd spent under Gabriel's care, like he'd been a cloud of darkness over his life and his mother was the ray of sunshine brightening his day after the storm had parted. Noroo and Duusu were touched too, their giant eyes full of glee.

"When in Abyss's captivity, Emilie never stopped hoping for this day to come." Duusu said brightly, "I knew more than any just how much she loved him."

"I'm glad that you're here to witness it all along with us." Nooroo said softly, making the Peacock Kwami smile graciously in return.

After Emilie had finished crying, she wiped her eyes and looked down at her son.

"So, are you ready to meet a few others today?" Adrien asked, "I figured we've had a week to settle so now's a good time."

"I'd love that very much." Emilie replied, "Getting to meet your girlfriend's parents should be wonderful. I'd even like to get to know Marinette a little more, especially to see Marinette outside of her superhero life. I'm curious as to what it is about her that attracted her to you. I do hope it's not just because of the fact she saves the world while clad in a skintight red and black outfit." she teased, a sly grin spreading across her beautiful features.

"Mom, it was nothing like that at all!" Adrien exclaimed, blushing bright pink as Nathalie and the Gorilla stifled a laugh, "OK maybe a little but seriously, you'll love getting to know her personally as she's just like the goods her bakery makes: sweet and perfect in everyway."

"Maybe we could purchase any of their baked goods while we visit them." Nathalie suggested.

The Gorilla grunted, voicing his approval in the only way he could. With that said, the Agreste family got up from the table and prepared to set out for the day. Adrien couldn't help but wonder how things were going for Marinette, and Kagami too for that matter...

* * *

The young girl couldn't help but groan in delight as she snuggled deeper into the bed she was resting in right now. It was way better than what she had to sleep on when working with the Light, rough ground and sometimes wooden floors were what she had to cope with. This was something she was glad to have been sleeping in all week, for it made her feel safe and loved, away from Vandal and Shiva. She did often keep getting scared as to wether they were actually behind her and ready to kill her, but as the week went on, she fully relaxed, realising she was free from them. She smiled at how much effort was made to make her feel welcome, especially from Marinette and Adrien. They did a lot to convince Master Fu she was worth keeping around, given he still had some uncertainty over how truthful she was being. He finally gave in when Adrien reminded him of what it was like for himself with nowhere to go. He became a lot nicer as the went on and she really felt more at home now than she did before.

She felt the sunlight beam past the window of her bedroom, softly warming her with its heat. It was enough to wake her up, and she made most of the enjoyment of her bed as she woke up. Rubbing her eyes, the blue haired girl beamed as she looked around her, appreciating just how normal this felt. No underground bases. No damp or rough grounds. Just a basic, normal room. How much were her former masters wrong about the civilians living such weak lives. This was worth more than the mansions they often stayed in.

Of course, Kagami's ears picked up the sound of a pair of familiar voices from the living room outside. She recognised them easily and she felt at ease as to who it was. She slid her legs out and ran to the folded set of clothes that she had put on the side for herself in the night. They were loose and not tight, something she was glad to be out of now that she left the Light behind. Fully dressed, she rubbed her eyes again to adjust to being awake before opening her door. Fully open, she was greeted by the friendly sight of Marinette, Master Fu and Tikki, the three of them sitting around his table, talking to each other quite excitedly while Marinette patted the plastic bag she had in her hand. She honestly looked excited, something that picked up Kagami's interest as she went further in, letting them know she was there. They all stopped their conversation and gave her a smile as she looked to them all. She smiled back just a little. She was still getting use to doing it.

"Morning Kagami! Slept well?" Marinette asked in a really bright tone. She couldn't help but chuckle at the younger girl's friendliness, it was almost hard not to smile at her.

"I did, thank you, Marinette. I think I've learnt how to appreciate the normal life a lot better" she replied in a relaxed tone as she sat down. Marinette nodded as her smile softened, seeing how much it meant to her.

"I can imagine. Way better than what you use to put up with." she stated in a sure tone.

Kagami could only nod, really not wanting to get verbal about the details. Tikki beamed at her as the Kwami sat by Marinette's hand, which had a letter held.

"Then you'll learn to appreciate your new life more, Kagami! Marinette has something she wants to share with you!" she said brightly, giving her owner's hand a push. Marinette was pulled back into the point Tikki was making and she gasped, realising she nearly forgot. She still smiled.

"Y-Yeah!" she said as she pulled the paper up and handed it over to Kagami, who raised a brow in interest as she took hold of it.

Marinette couldn't help but feel excited as to what she was to get from Kagami, who's eyes narrowed as she read over the comparison chart on the paper. Her eyes then went wide as something sparked inside of her when she finished going over the comparisons. Her breathing eased as she slowly looked to Marinette, though her eyes stung slightly as she released the paper.

"We're a match? We really are?"

Marinette has to resist the urge of squealing, resorting to opening her arms up to her with a smile as she let her mouth go loose.

"That's right! You are part of my family! Thing is, Emilie overheard our conversation, she's still got lots of money left and she ordered a DNA kit, so I took samples from myself, my mom and you! Result is...you are my cousin, from my mother's side, of one of her many siblings from Japan. All I can say is...welcome to the family!" she explained, her voice easing as she finished.

The French-Chinese girl smiled as she stood up and before Kagami could say anything else, she found herself in the arms of the younger girl, who rested her head against her.

"W-wow...I...I had strongly believed that we were related. I just never thought it'd be true..." Kagami said, her voice barely above a whisper as she was trying to calculate how exactly she felt about this.

Was she surprised? Overjoyed? Happy? Bewildered? She'd been raised to keep her emotions in check for so long that it was now hard to pinpoint exactly how or what she felt. Now away from the Light, she could remember what it was to truly feel real emotions again. She also had to admit that it felt somewhat nice getting a hug from her cousin instead of fighting her.

"You can now live your days knowing it is true." Marinette said kindly, "It was so cruel and sick of the Light to lie to you all this time and try to convince you we're not family. Now you don't have to live a lie anymore!"

"And for that, I can honestly say that I feel...at peace I guess?" Kagami murmured, "I apologize, I'm still trying to process how exactly I feel about this."

"You'll figure it out and I'm sure it'll be the right emotion." Marinette said optimistically, "You know, once you've met with my parents, Master Fu was thinking about us seeing if we can track down who might've been your mother. As in your ACTUAL mother and not whoever the Light might've convinced you was your mother."

"I'd like that very much." Kagami said happily, her tone genuine and lacking the stiffness that she used to speak with, "To uncover more truths to my family ties would feel most rewarding."

Master Fu had watched the whole scene with pleasure, glad to see that Kagami was taking it so well. He decided to chip into the conversation as he hobbled forwards and cleared his throat.

"I'm glad that you're both happy with this news." he said cheerfully, "You know Marinette, now that you're ready for Kagami to be a part of the family, you should be ready to let the rest of the family in. I imagine they'd be most interested to meet her."

Kagami's eyes widened as she took this in and she suddenly felt a twinge of anxiety punch through her stomach. She looked down at the floor uncertainly and hugged herself.

"M-m-meet me? B-but Master Fu...how will they react to knowing that a member of the organization that tried to take over Paris is one of their own?" Kagami stammered, feeling nervous about the whole thing, "What...what if they hate me? They might not accept me as a member of the family."

Marinette looped an arm around her cousin, still sporting her optimistic smile to reassure the Asian-French girl that she had nothing to fear.

"Kagami, if there's ANYTHING I can tell you about mom and dad, it's that they're never ones to shun people." the baker girl said reassuringly, "They'd be just like I am now, willing to give you a second chance. They won't care about who you WERE, they'll care about who you ARE, and who you are is a long lost member of the family longing to uncover the truth about her family history and willing to leave her past behind. You'll be accepted, I just know it!"

Kagami was finding herself feeling more and more happy to acknowledge that she was related to this girl. Her sweet demeanour and optimistic personality were just infectious and she was honestly touched by it all! This was what it felt like to be genuinely loved by people and it was better than any feeling she'd ever had in the Light. Who'd have thought Abyss disposing of her tracker had ended up being a blessing in disguise that had led to this moment? Trying her best to smile in return, Kagami nodded.

"OK...if you think so, then I guess I have nothing to worry about." she said, hoping that she sounded convinced enough.

Marinette smiled, running a hand on her shoulder to help ease the nervousness in her.

"You won't. Though now that you mention it..." she said to herself as she then became thoughtful about her mother and father.

They'd got settled after that whole thing with Abyss and Manchester Black, but that certainly didn't stop the odd look she got from them now and then. It was over what she told them that morning. She would've told them if she didn't go out to save the world again. But now she knew it was something that couldn't be hidden for long.

Her face going slightly harder, Marinette looked to Kagami with her mind made up.

"There's something I need to tell my mom and dad first. I'll bring you along, but I just...need to have a moment with them." she said to her, hoping she wasn't being rude towards her cousin for the request. Kagami raised an eyebrow of confusion at this, though Master Fu knew what it was about, so did Tikki, both of them looking a little nervous as they faced her.

"Marinette...this might change things a lot with what you'll tell them. I don't want your relationship with your parents ruined." the elderly man expressed his worry, not wanting such a strained relationship to happen to the young girl.

"I don't want you making any poor choices depending on what they say, Marinette." Tikki added, not liking the idea of her owner running away.

Marinette still looked made up though, a slight smile still on her face.

"I'll make sure to figure something out with them. It's what we do." she assured, her voice full of surety as she turned towards her cousin.

"C'mon you! Let's get you around to family HQ!" she said, patting her back to get her in the mood.

Kagami moved forward, though she could see there was a slight form of nervousness coming to Marinette's face. She was questioning if this was even a good idea to begin with. Master Fu watched on and while he still felt worried for the young girl, something twirled in his heart. A form of admiration. He knew deep down this was right and it was her choice to make. He knew no matter what...he'd be there for her.

* * *

It was something Adrien was getting use to again, walking in the daylight without a hood covering his face. Everyone's interest was drawn elsewhere so they almost forgot about him. It was something he was thankful for as he didn't need to hear any negativity about himself, nor did his mother need to hear any of it. She was walking along with him, her arm around his back in a loving hold as he led the way towards the bakery. They were talking as well, with Emilie looking at the scarf Adrien had wrapped around his neck.

"I remember seeing her making that. Talent aside, Marinette has a big space in her heart for you. I can only hope her parents are just as wonderful." Emilie said in admiration of the heroic girl, getting a pleased smile from her son.

"They are, mom. They let me stay with them a few times without question. I think they'll love you a lot." he said assurance as they crossed the road together, the bakery just right in front of them.

Emilie noticed the closed sign on the door and she frowned as she came to an assumption.

"They must be out. They usually close on a Saturday?" she asked in confusion, only for Adrien to shake his head.

"Nah, they were planning on having the weekend off last week but that got disrupted, so they're trying again this weekend" he explained to her, getting a pleased smile from his mother.

Footsteps ahead of them raised their heads to see Marinette and Kagami walking towards them down the pavement, beaming as they could see Marinette brightly pointing out the building to her.

"Right here, family HQ!" she said happily to the blue haired girl, who's eyes lit up.

"Very nice. Hope I get free food while I'm here" she suggested to her younger cousin, who's purse rattled a bit in response.

"I'll give you tips on how to steal plenty of food, Kagami! It's a matter of a slight of the hand!" she called sweetly, earning a giggle from the two girls before they saw the Agrestes just opposite them. Marinette's heart leapt upon seeing such a sight in front of her, her boyfriend and his mother happily standing in the daylight and enjoying the other's company.

She shot over to them and looped her arm around her boyfriend, earning a surprised yelp from him as she lifted him off his feet. He settled as he gazed down at her, his eyes dreamy as he put his arms around hers.

"Hi there." he said quietly to her, getting a sly look off her in return.

"Hello." she said sweetly as she lowered him back to the ground, allowing his touch to ease onto her. A form of acceptance came over them both as they realised they were free now in what they could do, especially in front of their loved ones. They didn't have to nervously hold onto each other in the daylight, they could relax in their hold like any other couple, feeling their bodies take the other into their great size and strength...

Of course, a few people were staring on, in this case it was Emilie and Kagami, who wondered if Marinette and Adrien ended up in another universe as they both held onto each other. Emilie's heart melted at such a sight, seeing this girl was everything that kept her son happy and complete. Kagami had to admit, her cousin did well in a relationship with such a person like Adrien, though she had to wonder how long they would kiss for given they were in such a loving grip.

Both of the lovers came out of their gaze as Marinette looked at Emilie with a kind smile.

"Hi Mrs Agreste! You doing okay?" she asked the woman kindly, making her beam brighter.

"We certainly are, Marinette. That house we're in now is just right for us. Never lived in such a nice place since I was young. And just being in Paris again...it's amazing. It's almost like I never left. Home never changes despite how long it's been." she said wisely, taking in the sunlight's soft glow on the whole surroundings.

Marinette felt glad to hear that. Such a great thing to come from someone who had been locked away for a whole year. She could see as well what it meant to Adrien to see his mother so happy. It really helped him to see even after everything, his mother hadn't changed.

Her mind then came back to the now as she then looked to the front door of the bakery, her face set on what she was about to do. Turning to her boyfriend, she smoothed his back and rested her head against his chest as she gave him a slight pleading look.

"Is it okay you wait out here for a moment? There's something I need to do." she informed him, hoping he'd understand. Adrien smiled, his eyes full of knowledge over what she meant. He did encourage her to go and do it, and she needed the space to do so, something he couldn't deny her of.

Leaning his head down, he gave her a kiss to her cheek, sending a shot of heat running through her as her grip on him tightened.

"Go on in, Princess. We can wait." he assured, his voice full of understanding.

Marinette gave him a loving look as she pulled away slowly, feeling his strength running into her as she now knew this was it. There was no turning back from this point. His strength would be enough to get her through this.

She gave one glance to them all as she opened the door, her feet getting slightly thicker in weight as she now only needed to go up the stairs and get one thing done.

The door closing in front of them, Emilie frowned as she looked to Adrien and Kagami.

"What is she doing?" she asked, concerned for her reasons of going in alone. Adrien smiled, his eyes full of belief in his girlfriend.

"She's telling them the truth about herself. Then we'll get to go in." he said softly, his thoughts with his lover as he saw her go up the stairs. Kagami felt hopeful for her cousin, for she knew it was something that meant a lot to her.

* * *

Upstairs in the home of the Dupain-Chengs, the husband and wife were busy tidying up the kitchen from their breakfast when they saw their daughter coming up the stairs to them. They smiled as they put everything down to greet her, both of them coming over to give her a hug, which Marinette yelped at due to how fast they were at it.

"There you are! You missed breakfast! You really need to let us known when you go off like that!" Tom said, his voice full of love for his daughter, who smiled as she settled into the hug.

"And where did you go? To see Adrien's new home? You really didn't need to get up so early for that." Sabine said softly to her daughter, who felt her heart twist as she knew now this was it. Everything went silent in her ears as she slowly pulled away from the hug, shaking her head at them.

"No, I didn't. But I will later. Thing is...mom, dad, I did some thinking...you remember last week I said I needed to tell you something?" she reminded them both, her voice being easy as she tried not to get nervous over this. Tom and Sabine had a look of realisation come over their faces, which became interested as they looked at their daughter.

"Yes, we do...you said we might like what you were about to tell us." Sabine stated, her memory clear on what her daughter was on about. Marinette waved her hands about as her chest went in and out, stepping back from her parents as she went to undo her purse's zip.

"What is it, dear?" Tom asked, hoping Marinette was okay with this.

Marinette sighed and closed her eyes, her body going still as she began to talk, avoiding their gaze as the room and air went slow "Mom, dad...this past year, I've held a secret that I kept to myself until a few months ago. I've wondered how to tell you this, but because of what's happened in these months, I can't hide it anymore...so here it goes." she said as her voice became harder, looking at them right in their eyes as she smoothed her purse, which began to move as the little Kwami inside poked her head out, her large eyes just enough to draw the attention of Tom and Sabine, who looked at her in confusion as they started to process what they were seeing.

Then three words came that really made them think again.

"TIKKI, SPOTS ON!"

They gasped as they ended up nearly blinded by the swirling purple light that beamed from the earrings of their daughter, watching on as her whole body changed in front of them. They almost lost their breath as the light died down, their hearts beating hard against their chests as they saw standing in front of them was no longer the Marinette they knew, but the one they didn't properly know.

Ladybug opened her eyes, which were now somewhat frightened as she took in what she just did. Her hands stayed open as she revealed it all.

"I'm Ladybug."

There was a long silence as Ladybug let Tom and Sabine take this in for as long as they needed. She imagined that they'd need more than a minute. They were still and silent, trying to process what they'd just seen as best as they could. After two awkward minutes of stunned silence passed, Ladybug de-transformed. She imagined they were too overwhelmed to speak with her in costume so it might be easier for them if she powered down. Now back as Marinette, the teen girl looked up at them guiltily as she explained everything.

"I know you're horrified at this and now you probably hate me for this but that's my secret." she said worriedly, "I'm the one who's been going around fighting all the akumas and purifying them with the powers of Ladybug. I was chosen by a guardian of the Miraculouses after I displayed a selfless act to him a long, long while back. My boyfriend is Cat Noir and our friends Alya, Nino, Alix and Lila are the other Miraculous heroes that joined me and Adrien in fighting off the Light and what happened a week ago. I can see you're really shocked and I'm sorry about all this, but I just had to tell you. Please don't be mad!" she concluded, screwing her eyes shut as she waited for the hammer to fall.

But surprisingly...it never came. Instead, Tom and Sabine embraced her with happy tears in their eyes. Marinette yelped as she was taken into their arms as she hadn't expected a reaction like this. She could see from their faces they weren't mad in the slightest. If anything, they looked...joyful. They seemed more thrilled than horrified at this secret being revealed.

"Our own daughter, growing up from a baker girl to Paris's greatest superhero!" Tom exclaimed, "I don't know if I can stop myself yelling it out to the world!"

"We've told you endlessly how proud of you we are Marinette...but now I don't think any of those times can properly summarize just how proud we are now!" Sabine cried.

"You're...not upset?" Marinette said incredulously.

"To be honest darling, your father and I had suspected this for quite a while." Sabine admitted, "We both thought it was ludicrous of us to think you'd be Ladybug, but both of us couldn't help but admit it was possible. I mean, what else can explain your many disappearances so well?"

"All those akumas, that evil Joker guy, that grey woman with the red eyes, those attacks during the mayoral campaign and that weird black stuff last week...that was all you fighting them off and saving the world along with your boyfriend and your friends!" Tom yelled ecstatically, "And you met Batman and Wonder Woman and your friends were fighting alongside Superman too! How was it meeting those heroes? Are they nice people both in and out of costume?"

Marinette was so surprised at how well they were taking this that her knees began to tremble. She was having to use as much strength as she could possibly muster up just to keep herself from fainting. A big smile of delight spread across her face as she hugged her parents back.

"Oh thank you so much you two!" she squealed, "I was hoping you'd be OK with this revelation! I'm so glad you approve of me being Ladybug!"

"Why wouldn't we?" Tom retorted, "Our own daughter is a superhero and has helped save the world countless times! I'd feel rotten if I didn't approve of that."

"Your father and I will worry about you, especially now we know the truth, but you'll always have our support whenever you go out as Ladybug again." Sabine said with pride.

Marinette was just silent throughout all this. Her parents were really okay with all this...she had to be dreaming! Didn't parents always disapprove of such things when they find out their kids were superheroes!? Then again, that was how it went in movies and comics. This was the real world, with her parents. They understood so much and didn't hold anything against her at all. What did she do to deserve such great parents like them?

Someone else then poked her little head in, her blue eyes beaming in awe as she floated in front of Tom and Sabine. She gave them a little nod.

"It's a pleasure to finally talk to you both properly as well. I'm Tikki, the Kwami that helps Marinette turn into Ladybug. I'm pretty much the reason why a lot of cookies kept going missing." she cheekily admitted to them both, feeling easy enough around them to talk to them now.

Tom and Sabine went wide eyed in awe as the latter scooped her up into her hands, smoothing her little head.

"So you're the little thief, hm? Your need more in that tiny belly of yours, little one! You can eat as much as you want!" she said sweetly to the Kwami, who blushed at the praise she was getting from the mother of her owner.

"She's a cutie as well! You're so sweet!" Tom said brightly as he smoothed her head, getting a great laugh out of Marinette over how much her dad was showing such a fun loving side.

Both parents then raised their heads to Marinette as they remembered something as well.

"You said your boyfriend is Chat Noir...you mean Adrien, don't you?" Sabine asked in confusion, wanting to be sure she got that right. Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Well of course, who else is my boyfriend?" she asked back with a smirk, getting a sheepish smile in response.

"Heh, fair point." Sabine admitted as she continued to smooth Tikki, looking at her in awe.

Marinette walked over to them with her chest lighter and free from the pressure, taking their hands into hers.

"Speaking of Adrien, he's outside with his mom. She's been wanting to meet you. And I've brought someone else along. She's gonna need a lot of help from us to find someone in our family. So just...be yourselves." she pleaded with her parents, both of whom looked even more excited to hear such a thing.

"Well bring them in, dear! Let's meet them!" Tom asked brightly, his smile full of energy.

Marinette grinned, her legs carrying her off the floor as she turned on her feet and ran back down the stairs to go get them. Tom and Sabine smiled brightly as they sat down on the sofa with Tikki, giving her smiles that looked like they just had another baby.

"Now Tikki, what type of cookies do you like? The ones with a bit of fudge, or my husband's chocolate chips?" Sabine asked eagerly, getting a slight frown off her husband.

"Excuse me? Is this a competition now or something?" he asked his wife in a pressuring tone, getting a teasing smirk from her.

"Well, I want to know exactly how much of which flavour she's eaten!" she responded, giving Tikki a grin that made her laugh at the married couple's dynamic. She gave an answer to the question, which only weighed the competition bigger now.

"How about you bake me some freshly made ones and I'll rate them for you?" she suggested to the couple, who smiled at the suggestion.

"I'll make sure my cookies are the finest for a little goddess like you!" Tom declared, already thinking over how it'd go.

"Not if I make mine first!" Sabine said in response as footsteps came up the stairs, bringing in the visitors.

Their heads turned to see the new people entering their home behind their daughter, who was tightly holding her boyfriend's hand. He looked pleased with what he heard of her parents' response, for he ran his other hand on her back to ease her happiness she just released on them. Tom and Sabine stood up as they saw Emilie and Kagami walk towards them, the blonde woman smiling kindly at them as she held out her hand.

"You two must be Mr and Mrs Dupain-Cheng. It's a pleasure to meet you both at last. I'm Adrien's mother, Emilie." she introduced herself, her voice glad to meet more people in her regained life. Both Tom and Sabine gripped her hand at the same time, smiling brightly at the woman as they shook her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Emilie. Have to say, your son gets his looks from you" Sabine greeted the woman.

"And his good attitude as well. He's a fine young man, your son. He's made our daughter happy. And he's saved her life many times. That I'm forever grateful for." Tom said, his voice proud as he voiced his full approval of Adrien, who smiled kindly at the father of his girlfriend.

Kagami stepped forward beside Emilie, her smile small but genuine as she reached her hand out to Sabine, a slight rush of warm going through her as she shook the woman's hand. There was a form of trust just from that touch. A trust of family. She gave her a nod.

"I'm Kagami, a new friend of Marinette's. There's a lot we have to discuss, all of us." she said, her voice easy as she took in the atmosphere of the room, enjoying it more from the smile she gotten from the woman.

Tikki floated over to Marinette and Adrien as they watched on. She was wanting to talk to Marinette about her parents' competitive attempts to please her, until Plagg flew out of Adrien's pocket. He was sniffing the air as he floated towards the kitchen.

"Oooooh! I smell lots of cheese...I need some right now! C'mon, Tikki, help me find some!" he called to her, getting a giggle out of the Kwami of Life as she flew after him.

"Hold on, Plagg, you might want to wait for the competition that's about to come up!" she called after him, leaving Marinette and Adrien alone to take in the sight before them.

It was warm. Hopeful. Normal. Something they long needed in their lives. Something they needed to fully balance with their superhero ones. And it worked out really well. It was like an ordinary gathering of friends and family. To think after all they went through, it came to this.

They gazed into each other's eyes as their smiles told them both that it was worth it. They gotten what they wanted. No more secrets. Relatives reunited. But most of all as they took their arms into their hands and their lips inches apart...they had each other. Both at peace and in love. Their eyes slowly slid closed as they leaned closer, only one sentence escaping their mouths that fully closed the gap.

"I love you".

"I love you too".

It was all they needed to hear before their lips came into contact, fully enveloping both in a cotton of warmth as they pressed into each other, their faces holding their peace as they gotten lost in their hot air of love.

It was over. Everything was alright. And most of all, they had love.

* * *

_**And that wraps up our Ladybug and DC Crossover universe! I cannot thank you readers enough for sticking with these crossovers since me and my co-writer wrote Miraculous Knight all those years ago. You've been wonderful and your devotion to these fanfics is really touching. ^^ I'm still amazed Miraculous Knight has become my most popular fanfic but I appreciate it none-the-less. ^^**_

_**Special thanks goes to my co-writer, Reece Wooldridge who you can find on DeviantArt under the name PrimalPrince. Without his support and his co-plotting of these crossovers, they would never have been possible. Please give him all your thanks for helping me make these fics a reality. ^^**_

_**So that's all for the Ladybug and DC Crossover universe. I hope it's been a blast for you all and I'll see you all in my next fanfic, whenever that maybe. Thank you once again and see you all next time. ^^**_


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